Inter coach: 'The ball doesn't want to go into Man City's net'

Turkey coach Simone Inzaghi regretted that Inter had many chances but could not score against Man City in the Champions League final.

"We had a great game and we are proud of it," Inzaghi told Sport Mediaset after the final in Turkey on June 10. "We must not think about what could have been, although we deserved more. I hugged every player because they were incredible - as well as the fans, and Inter deserved a different result. But I hope they are happy when they see the way the team played tonight."

Coach Inzaghi (in the lead) and Inter players receive a silver medal after the Champions League final loss to Man City 0-1 at Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul on June 10. Photo: Reuters

At the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, Inter were rated much lower but played on par, even creating more chances than Man City. The Italians had 44% possession, 14 shots with six on target - compared to seven and four for the English champions. They could have scored at least one goal, if they had been lucky.

In the 59th minute, from a pass back from Bernardo Silva, goalkeeper Ederson and Manuel Akanji gave way to each other, allowing Lautaro Martinez to charge down. Instead of passing to Romelu Lukaku in a favorable position, the Inter striker shot straight from a narrow angle and failed to beat Ederson in a one-on-one situation. On the sidelines, coach Pep Guardiola knelt down on the pitch as he witnessed his team almost conceding a goal.

Di Marca in a situation where he finished two shots in a row, the first shot hit the crossbar, the next shot hit Lukaku. Photo: Reuters

After Rodri broke through, Inter continued to have good chances. In the 71st minute, from a situation where the ball was bouncing around in the penalty area, Federico Dimarco rushed in and headed the European player against the crossbar. The Italian defender continued to head the ball in the 5m50 area, but the ball hit his teammate Lukaku.

Two minutes later, Lukaku himself rushed down and shot with his right foot straight at Ederson. In the 88th minute, the Belgian striker headed close to the goal from Robin Gosens' cross, but was blocked by the Man City goalkeeper with his thigh right on the goal line.

Lukaku (number 90) headed the ball but was blocked by goalkeeper Ederson with his thigh in the 88th minute. Photo: AFP

"The last 25 minutes, it felt like the ball didn't want to go into the Man City net," Inzaghi said. "That happens sometimes, and unfortunately it happened in the Champions League final. Inter hit the crossbar, got blocked on the line, a shot hit a teammate, everything happened. We fought Man City with our own strength and did it very, very well."

According to Football Italy , Inzaghi had a clever tactical plan to neutralize Man City's attack, in which the duo Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni had well contained the most dangerous striker Erling Haaland - who scored 52 goals, but this match had almost no significant chances. "With this spirit, arrangement and determination, I think Inter will soon return to the Champions League final," the 47-year-old coach emphasized, while defending Hakan Calhanoglu and Lautaro Martinez from a wave of criticism for their lackluster performance.

Key developments of the match Man City 1-0 Inter.

This is the second time Inzaghi has suffered a title defeat in his coaching career, and also ended a streak of seven consecutive victories in the final. He admitted it was a strange feeling, needing time to digest the defeat but was proud that Inter could compete on equal terms with Man City. The Italian coach, whose contract runs until the summer of 2024, said he would take a few days off before meeting with the board to discuss a renewal and plan transfers.

Hong Duy

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