Ivan Perisic was supposed to take the penalty kick against Atalanta yesterday, but Simone Inzaghi has explained why Federico Dimarco stepped up.
Inter were held to a 2-2 draw by Atalanta at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Saturday, but it could have gone either way as, in the final ten minutes, Federico Dimarco missed a penalty while Roberto Piccoli saw a goal disallowed after a VAR check.
According to Goal.com, Dimarco asked to take the penalty kick, but Simone Inzaghi took responsibility for the decision.
“The decision was mine. This morning Calhanoglu and Lautaro tried penalties, but they had come off. We had Dimarco and Ivan Perisic, Dimarco seemed sharper,” the coach told DAZN.
“It’s a pity, as he’s been so good this season and deserved to get a winner in front of the Inter fans.”
The former Hellas Verona man, a product of Inter academy, used to watch every Inter game in the Curva Nord, under which he took the penalty yesterday, so that could have impacted his mistake.
“I decided to take the penalty as soon as I got the ball,” the Inter defender told DAZN.
“I’m sorry I didn’t make the team win, but I’m happy because the Curva and the teammates immediately comforted me. I wanted to score, I will try to improve on penalties. I’m sorry.”
Inter take the pitch against on Tuesday visiting Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.
They play away at Sassuolo the following weekend in the last game before the October break.
"I ragazzi hanno dato tutto. Il rigore a Dimarco? Decisione mia" 🗣
Le parole di Inzaghi al termine di #InterAtalanta ⚫️🔵https://t.co/h3aUELqhRg— GOAL Italia (@GoalItalia) September 25, 2021