Federico Dimarco notes Inter ‘played on even terms with a Manchester City side that was built to win the Champions League’ and this is something they can build on in future.
It was certainly far more of a fight than many had been expecting for Pep Guardiola’s men, as they only managed to sneak victory with a Rodri strike through the eye of a needle.
The Nerazzurri had several chances to equalise, including a double Federico Dimarco header that came off the bar and the rebound charged down accidentally by Romelu Lukaku, while Lukaku hit a free header straight at Ederson.
“What remains is just a lot of disappointment, because we played on even terms with City, but it is still only second place and we feel sad to have lost the most important match,” Dimarco told Sport Mediaset.
“This City team was built to win the Champions League. We played a very even game with them tonight, but the ball didn’t want to go in and when you score, it changes the whole face of a Final. I am proud of this squad, as we gave 120 per cent.”
It also means Italian teams reached the Final of all three UEFA tournaments and all of them lost, as Roma fell to Sevilla on penalties in the Europa League, Fiorentina lost 2-1 to West Ham United in the Conference League and Inter in the Champions League.
Some Inter players are at the end of their contracts, like Edin Dzeko and loan striker Romelu Lukaku, but Dimarco sees a bright future for the Nerazzurri.
“Considering what we saw this season from Inter in the Champions League, I think it needs to be a starting point and not a finish.”