Inter coach Cristian Chivu praises his players and feels ‘injustices’ strengthened his team in a 2-1 comeback win over Fiorentina.
Inter beat Fiorentina 2-1 at San Siro on Sunday, in the Serie A Round 8 lunchtime game.
Marcus Thuram cancelled out Alex Jimenez’s opener in the 90th minute, but also earned a penalty kick five minutes later, which Piotr Zielinski converted.
Chivu on the sidelines didn’t watch the Poland international take the spot kick.
“Before Zielinski’s penalty, I was thinking about all the good things we had done today and how disciplined our performance had been,” the Inter boss told DAZN at full time.
“We approached the game well in every respect, then fell behind after a 30-yard shot flew into the top corner. I couldn’t fault our organisation, quality or determination on the pitch.
“We created plenty of chances, and in the end we were rewarded because we kept clear heads and did what the game required.”
Inter produced 33 total shots, and the victory against Fiorentina means the Nerazzurri have now earned 13 points from a losing position this season.
“I want to congratulate my players because they gave everything right to the end, trying to get the win,” Chivu continued.
“These are not easy games. Before Zielinski’s penalty, I was thinking, ‘Let’s hope he scores,’ because he’s a penalty specialist. We deserved to win today, and I would have said that even if we had lost. My players deserve all the praise I can give them today.”
Francesco Pio Esposito and Marcus Thuram started up front, but Ange-Yoan Bonny replaced Esposito in the second half.
“Bonny’s movement gives defenders no fixed point of reference, whereas with Pio it was much easier for Fiorentina’s two defenders,” Chivu explained.
“We opted for mobility and one-on-one situations. We couldn’t break the deadlock, and then we conceded after taking Bonny off. We knew we needed to attack down the flanks because the middle was so congested.
“We knew we had to get more players into the box, which is also why I brought Lavelli on. We believed until the very end and were rewarded for the football we played. I’m pleased with the reaction: the injustices didn’t knock us down; they made us stronger.”
Minutes after Jimenez’s opening goal, Thuram demanded a penalty kick for a potential Viery foul inside the box. The referee initially appeared to point to the spot kick, but then didn’t blow the whistle and awarded a throw-in instead.
The Nerazzurri have caught Lazio at the top of the Serie A table after Gennaro Gattuso’s men beat Parma 2-1 on Saturday.
Inter have the league’s best attack with 23 goals scored, but have already conceded ten.
“That’s football: sometimes you concede. The important thing is not to let your heads drop and to maintain the same mentality. Ever since I arrived here, I’ve always said that games last 90 minutes. I don’t want to see people feel sorry for themselves or complain about refereeing decisions. I want to see players respond to setbacks,” Chivu concluded.
“I’d like us not to concede either, but that’s football. I don’t like the narrative that Inter won’t be able to come back sooner or later. There will also be games where we take the lead and end up losing. That’s football: you have to stay determined and stick to what you’re doing right to the end. So far, we’ve done that fairly well, apart from the game against Brugge.”