Simone Inzaghi is confident Inter ‘clearly deserved the Final over two legs’ against Juventus and will do everything they can to defend their status as Coppa Italia holders against Fiorentina or Cremonese.
As the first leg ended 1-1 and there is no away goals rule, it was winner takes all at San Siro and the goal came just 15 minutes in, Nicolò Barella off the outside of the boot threading through for Federico Dimarco, who scored in similar fashion.
The Nerazzurri are in the Coppa Italia Final for the second year in a row, having beaten Juve in extra time to lift the trophy last season.
“It was a wonderful evening, a lot of fair play, both teams played an intense match from start to finish. Clearly, my team deserved the Final over the two legs. We are very happy, as we wanted to return to Rome at all costs,” Inzaghi told Mediaset.
“Now there are 10 games to go this season, we hope there will be one more. It is a great evening that we enjoy with our fans, as playing this much is by no means easy.”
The ‘one more’ would be the Champions League Final if they manage to get past rivals Milan.
They might be struggling in Serie A, losing both home and away to Juve, but are in the Champions League semi-final against Milan and now the Coppa Italia Final, having already won the Supercoppa Italiana in January.
“The lads did so well tonight, as we never dropped back an inch against a quality opponent. At times we pushed up to press them, at others we defended with solidity. I bring home many positive sensations from the performance.”
Francesco Acerbi won all of his tackles this evening and never lost the ball, so Inzaghi’s determination to bring the defender in on loan from Lazio proved correct.
“Fortunately, with a bit of effort, but eventually the directors and the club made me happy. He is a player I know well, who has so many qualities both on and off the field. We played as a team this evening and Acerbi, along with the others, is having a fine season in the Cup competitions.”
It was put to him that Lautaro Martinez and Barella are the key figures in the squad and now they are back to full fitness, it makes a big difference.
“They are two very important players with great technique and physicality, but it’s reductive to talk about individuals. The important thing is that at this moment, aside from Milan Skriniar, I have everyone at my disposal. Don’t forget this team was missing Romelu Lukaku and Marcelo Brozovic for four months, and we all know how much they contribute to this squad.”
Before kick-off, Inzaghi shook hands with Juventus coach Max Allegri, but what did the older tactician say?
“There is a great deal of respect, we’ve been crossing paths for many years. He congratulated me on reaching the Champions League semi-final.”