Following the match, coach Simone Inzaghi made candid and sorrowful statements discussing the reasons for the exit and his players’ performance, emphasizing that the team lacked focus and was far from its true level.
Inzaghi said: “We are very sorry for our fans, we wanted to make them happy, but this is football. We must congratulate Milan on their qualification, but there is a lot of regret, especially for what we presented in the first half.”
He added: “We did not take advantage of the opportunities that were available to us, and we should have been more focused. We conceded a goal from a corner kick, and we were not lucky. In the second half, we performed even worse than in the first half.”
He continued: “We are not used to losing two matches in a row; we were weak in the first half, and the second goal we conceded completely changed the course of the match. We had a chance through De Vrij, and I thank him for his attempt, but I admit that I could have done better, and I take responsibility.”
Inzaghi explained the disappointment after the elimination, saying: “It cannot be denied that fatigue exists, but we must be stronger than that. We are Inter Milan, and we must always have enthusiasm and desire.”
He confirmed: “After the draw in the first leg, we hoped to deliver a great performance today, but we were absent from the scene at the crucial moments. We lacked sharpness and focus in the penalty area, and that cost us qualification.”
Inzaghi concluded his remarks with a clear message: “Yes, there is fatigue, but we cannot use that as an excuse. Today is painful; we wanted to reach the final, and we should have done better than that. Now we have the last month of the season ahead of us, and we must continue to work with confidence and strength. I congratulate Milan; they deserve to qualify for the final.”
