Simone Inzaghi expressed frustration at Inter’s Coppa Italia elimination in extra time, particularly after Bologna’s swift turnaround. He highlighted the need to assess Lautaro Martinez’s injury, emphasizing the team’s unfamiliarity with losing a lead, especially in the final 15 minutes of extra time.
“It’s disappointing, as we had won the Coppa for two years in a row and especially deserved to win after a game like this. We know this is football,” Inzaghi conveyed to Sport Mediaset.
The match took a turn after Carlos Augusto’s header from a corner gave Inter the lead, but two Joshua Zirkzee assists within four minutes turned the tables for Bologna, with goals from Sam Beukema and Dan Ndoye.
“Our only problem was the final 15 minutes of extra time. We were not used to losing a lead and it was especially galling after doing so well for over 90 minutes. The lads wanted to reach the quarter-final and so did the fans.” Inzaghi lamented.
Concern heightened for Inter as Lautaro Martinez left the field with a visible thigh injury during extra time.
“It will be evaluated, we hope it was nothing serious. The medical staff are relatively relaxed, but we need to evaluate it considering there is another game in two and a half days.” Inzaghi remarked.
Martinez had filled in due to Alexis Sanchez’s absence, partnering with Marko Arnautovic. Inzaghi praised Arnautovic’s efforts despite not finding luck in scoring, acknowledging his role in ball retention and positioning.
Regarding Stefano Sensi’s entry into the game, Inzaghi acknowledged a need for improvement in chasing down Ndoye during Bologna’s second goal but recognized the challenge of keeping pace with the player.
“I think many players would struggle keeping up with Ndoye. On that goal, we should not have let Zirkzee get away, I think 90 per cent of Serie A players chasing down Ndoye would’ve struggled.” Inzaghi commented.
Zirkzee’s impact off the bench didn’t go unnoticed, as Inzaghi acknowledged the player’s contribution with impressive assists that shifted the game’s dynamics.
“He is a very good player who continues to put in strong performances. I saw the footage of the back-heel flick on the first goal, he also weighted the pass really well on the second.” Inzaghi praised Zirkzee’s influence.
Lautaro Martínez
Lautaro Javier Martínez
This season he played in total 16 times for 1344 minutes for Serie A.
Lautaro Martínez scored 15 goals for Inter. He procured two assists. He received 2 yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 1st in Serie A. In the last match Inter won 2-0 against Lazio. The next match in Serie A will be against Lecce.
Inter performance and stats
Inter is currently 1st in the Serie A with 41 points.
In the last 16 games, it has won 13 times, drawn twice, and lost once. In its last match, Inter won 0-2 against Lazio.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 39 goals and conceding 7.
Inter will play the next match in Serie A against Lecce on Saturday 23rd of December in Milano. The prediction is Inter winning the match.