Inter put on a clinical performance by beating a timid Cagliari side 4-1 at the San Siro in the Coppa Italia clash. Romelu Lukaku (2), Andrea Ranocchia (1) and Borja Valero (1) were goal scorers today.
Romelu Lukaku bagged his opening goal within 21 seconds of the match and completed his brace in the second half. He also had a goal disallowed which was wrongfully ruled offside by VAR.
Lukaku’s goal tally is now up to 18 goals for this season.
The Belgian spoke with the journalists and said: “I must thank my teammates, coaches and the backroom staff and most importantly the fans. Everyone has helped me from day one. Inter was my best option, I must keep up.”
He also iterated the importance of the upcoming league match and said: “we now need to regain our focus and turn our attention right away to the next league match against Lecce.”
Andrea Ranocchia’s evening was special as he got on the scoresheet following his first start after quite some time.
The Inter faithful spoke to Inter tv following the match and said: “I am very happy for the goal. The objective was to progress through to the next round. The goal was just an icing on the cake.”
He added “The second half of the season is about to begin, and we need to do even better than what we’ve done up till now to achieve the biggest objectives, which is the league title.”
Federico Dimarco started his first of the season and played a pivotal role on the left side. The wing-back made crucial passes and swung in enticing crosses. He also covered a lot of ground going up and down the pitch as needed. A performance like this would surely not go unnoticed by the coaching staff.
Dimarco showed immense pride of wearing the Nerazzurri shirt and said “I have spent eleven years coming through the youth ranks at Inter so it makes me very proud to wear this shirt. “
Borja Valero turned back the clock on himself, proved his doubters wrong today and played all 90 minutes of the game with silky smooth brilliance. He also managed to get on the scoresheet.
He praised Conte and said: “Conte gives his all. He does not leave any detail to chance. I am pleased to have convinced Conte to give me a chance to play in this team. I hope to keep giving back to the team.”
Antonio Conte made 7 changes to the team coming from a draw against Atalanta. Conte was recently scrutinized by the media for not putting in an attacking minded Sanchez in the game against Atalanta. But his tactical prowess was unchallenged as Inter stormed passed Cagliari side booking their place in the Quarter finals.
Conte lauded his players and said: “I am really happy with the response from the lads. I am very happy for Barella as well as Sanchez who recovered well from their injury and started the game today. Borja proved himself once again today that he is a class player. I am happy for Lazaro, Dimarco and Ranocchia who haven’t had many chances thus far but played exceptionally well today.”
Inter will have to wait and see who their opponents will be in the quarter finals of the Coppa Italia. Next up is Lecce in Serie A.
