Inter President Steven Zhang is ‘very proud’ of the team for pushing Manchester City all the way in the Champions League Final. ‘Everyone thought we were underdogs, but the performance shows how strong we are.’
The Nerazzurri were the absolute underdogs going into the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, with Gareth Bale predicting a 5-0 victory for Pep Guardiola’s men.
Despite that, and the differences in budget, it was an extremely even game that was only decided by Rodri curling a finish through a sea of legs into the bottom corner.
Federico Dimarco hit the crossbar, Romelu Lukaku missed two sitters and in the final kick of the game Ederson made a desperate save on Robin Gosens.
“First of all, I want to congratulate City, they had a great season. At the same time, I am really, really proud to arrive here with my player, coach and staff,” Zhang told Sport Mediaset.
“Tonight, the performance confirms how strong we are. Before the game, everyone thought we were the underdogs, but the Final shows we are so strong and competing at the highest level possible.
“We are really, really proud.”
Inter were not even expected to get out of the group phase, but managed to eliminate Barcelona, beat Milan in the semi-final and were only narrowly beaten in Istanbul.
“I think there are a lot of positives to reflect on this season and this is something we can reflect on. Coming to the Final and playing so well is valuable experience in our minds.”
Inter did end the campaign with silverware, retaining the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana, while also reaching their first Champions League Final since 2010.
“No season is completely perfect, there is always improvement, but to top this season is something we need to work even harder on in daily life. We are really proud of everyone.”
A club with zero history in this competition since colour television was barely even invented REALLY thought they’d win 😂😂😂 Even Chelsea have more champions leagues.