La Gazzetta dello Sport analyses Inter‘s Champions League exit, which means Serie A clubs have no representatives in the quarter-finals: ‘It’s a slap to Italian football.’
Inter lost on penalties to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night so the Nerazzurri were eliminated from the Champions League Round of 16 following Napoli, Lazio and Milan. The Rossoneri had been knocked out in the group phase.
A year ago, three Serie A clubs—Milan, Napoli, and Inter — qualified for the quarter-finals, and the Nerazzurri went all the way to the Final, losing to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in Istanbul. On the other hand, there are no more Italian clubs left in the competition after the Round of 16 this season.
‘There is a great disappointment, it’s impossible to deny it,’ wrote La Gazzetta dello Sport deputy editor Stefano Agresti.
‘Inter’s elimination is a slap, a blow to the Nerazzurri’s dreams and Italian football. A year ago we had three clubs among the top eight in Europe, this year none. The world has turned upside down, and the idea of being, if not kings, at least princes, has been suppressed.
‘We couldn’t really think that our best team, the one dominating the league and playing the latest Champions League Final, would be eliminated by Atletico Madrid, this Atletico Madrid.
‘Inter have been different this season, almost unbeatable, and we can’t even say that Diego Simeone only relied on agonism, as it often happened during his 13-year reign. Not at all. Atletico played with quality and scrapped Inter from the Champions League, the jewel of Italian football.’
Inter had finished their group as runners-up below Real Sociedad, but many saw the Nerazzurri as favourites when they were paired with Atletico Madrid in December. All Italian media were confident Simone Inzaghi’s men would have qualified for the quarter-finals.
‘It was predictable, perhaps inevitable, to see Lazio eliminated by Bayern Munich. Too superior,’ continued Agresti.
‘It was understandable that Barcelona would eliminate Napoli, two top sides facing a crisis. But we were confident Inter would go ahead and continue pursuing the dream of winning the Champions League. Can they win it? Sure, in the end, only City and Real Madrid are really superior. Inter and Inzaghi decived us. The symbol of this dark night is the Lautaro penalty kick, a ball that the best Serie A player sent into the stands.