Simone Inzaghi after Inter’s Champions League loss to Atletico: “The boys must be proud of what they did”

Inter boss Simone Inzaghi has stated that the players should be proud of what they did in the UEFA Champions League, as they were knocked out of the competition by Atletico Madrid.

Atleti beat Inter on penalties after being 2-1 up after the end of extra time, thanks to a late Memphis Depay goal in normal time. Lautaro Martinez missed a vital penalty in the shootout, sending the Spanish giants to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Inter were one of the favourites for the competition and Inzaghi spoke to Prime Video (via TMW) after the loss. He was proud of his side, despite the defeat.

“There is disappointment, for the club and the fans. The boys must be proud of what they did in the Champions League, in 8 games we have never lost. In the second half we should have done better, in extra time we had the game in hand and made a lot of mistakes. You don’t give up an inch, I complimented the boys and they should be proud of what they did.”

Inzaghi also spoke about whether Inter can recover from the loss mentally and he seemed sure.

“The boys must move forward with their heads held high, knowing that tonight they had to do better in certain details.”

He reiterated that he is ‘super proud’ to coach the Nerazzurri and the current bunch of players, saying: “The team is not used to losing, but the defeat must sting given that we had qualification in hand. There is disappointment, but I am super proud to coach this group. Out of the Champions League and Italian Cup after extra time and penalties, now there are 10 games left in the championship and we have to reach a very important goal.”

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN