Inter managed to edge Derby d’Italia rivals Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana final right at the death, as Alexis Sanchez grabbed the dramatic winner in the last minute and in fact from the last kick in extra time.
The victory at the Giuseppe Meazza granted the Nerazzurri their sixth Italian Super Cup championship title.
As Simone Inzaghi registered the first silverware of his Inter career, he praised his players for displaying great perseverance and grit to oust Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus.
Speaking to Italian news outlet SportMediaset (via SempreInter) in the post-match presentation, the former Lazio coach expressed his satisfaction and mentioned the fact that Inter president Steven Zhang is ‘very happy’ with the team’s progress.
“He (Steven Zhang) was very happy, he congratulated us and the players asked for a gift. I think he’ll make them happy.”
Inzaghi also praised Juventus for displaying a fighting spirit until the end.
He added: “We came up against a great team who showed what Juve are all about. They didn’t give us too many problems, but we also played a great match. They were always in it, they wanted to win. Beating them is never easy, even if I’ve done it before against them in the Supercoppa. I’m very happy with how things went.”
The manager also shed light on the rotation of players – after match-winner Sanchez stole he victory from under the Bianconeri’s noses.
“I think everyone always wants to play, from time to time I have to make decisions. Remember that Gagliardini was the best player against Lazio, but he didn’t play a single minute here. I have four very good forwards, today Vidal also contributed, and Dimarco was important for the decisive goal.”
Finally, Inzaghi urged the Nerazzurri to carry forward with the same momentum, having secured the club’s first Super Cup title in over a decade.
“We have to keep on going like this, Inter hadn’t won a Super Cup for twelve years. It’s been too long for this club,” he ended.
Winter champions Inter resume their Serie A season on January 17 with a blockbuster clash against 4th placed Atalanta in Bergamo.