Simone Inzaghi insists it was a ‘balanced’ game with Lazio, defends his Inter choices, but acknowledges they ‘can never concede a goal’ like the opening free header.
The coach gambled by starting Roberto Gagliardini rather than Hakan Calhanoglu, but it didn’t pay off and ultimately substitutions made the difference.
Lautaro Martinez had cancelled out the Felipe Anderson free header, then Luis Alberto and Pedro came off the bench to score for the final 3-1 result.
“This is a defeat that hurts considering the way it came about,” Inzaghi told DAZN.
“It was a pretty balanced game, Luis Alberto’s goal really changed it. We had a big chance with Denzel Dumfries when it was 1-1 and should’ve had more determination in our finishing. We should’ve put something more into the performance.
“The first half was good, we needed to keep that up with more grit, because that makes the difference in these balanced matches.”
The coach was criticised for his substitutions, replacing Romelu Lukaku, Federico Dimarco and Dumfries when it was still 1-1, along with the starting XI picks.
“Gagliardini was chosen to help block off Milinkovic. It’s natural that after a defeat people look at the choices, but if Dumfries had scored that chance, we’d be talking about a very different game.
“Lukaku played the first two games very well. More than analysing the decisions made and the substitutions, we should analyse the full match. We must do more, not just the strikers. We put a lot of inviting balls into the box, but after the draw we needed more grit and determination to tip the game in our favour.”
The opening goal was a Felipe Anderson free header, as Alessandro Bastoni and Dimarco were caught napping on a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic ball floated over the top.
“A team like ours can never concede a goal like that. The other two were stunners, but the first goal was unacceptable.”
It is a blow for Inter, who will host Cremonese on Tuesday night before the Derby della Madonnina showdown with rivals Milan.