Simone Inzaghi hails a ‘very important victory’ against RB Salzburg and warns the trip to Austria will be just as tricky, but is pleased Alexis Sanchez made the most of squad rotation.
This was a far tougher test than many Nerazzurri fans were perhaps expecting at San Siro, because Alexis Sanchez saw his opener cancelled out by a well-worked Oscar Gloukh move.
It took a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty, earned by Davide Frattesi, to decide the match, as Lautaro Martinez had a late goal disallowed for offside.
“It is a very important victory in terms of qualification,” the coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“We were up against a quality side. At the start we struggled to find the right shape, but after taking the lead we controlled it well. We also reacted after the equaliser, getting a deserved win against a team that I knew was going to cause us problems.”
This result puts Inter four points clear of RB Salzburg in the group and represents a significant step towards qualification for the Round of 16, but at the same time it shows that the trip to Austria is going to be very difficult.
“We have seven points now, but it is a very balanced group and every game is important. Now we have two away fixtures in a row and know that in the Champions League nothing comes easy.
“The return fixture will be very similar, Salzburg have been playing like this for many years. We expected Konate to start tonight, but instead there was Roko Simic, so they have a variety of options.”
Inter have not been rotating as much this season amid injuries, especially to Marko Arnautovic, but Alexis Sanchez scored when given a rare start this evening.
“I am happy and he deserves it, especially for the desire he showed to come back to Inter. He is crucial with his work off the ball, but he only came off because I had to introduce fresh legs with Marcus Thuram.”
The focus now turns back to Serie A and at the weekend there will be a showdown with Jose Mourinho’s Roma, which means Romelu Lukaku returning to San Siro as an opponent.
“We can start thinking about Roma from tomorrow. They have other players along with Lukaku, we will try to play a great game in front of our fans.”