MILAN - It was a difficult but satisfactory start to the season for Armando Madonna and his players with the drama of Samuele Mulattieri scoring a 90th minute winner from Tibo Persyn’s cross. At the end of the match, the key figures from the match spoke to Inter TV.
After scoring the winner, Samuele Mulattieri spoke about his happiness: "I’ve been an Inter fan since I was a kid and I couldn’t ask for more from my debut with the Nerazzurri. Over the course of the match, we struggled with Cagliari’s physicality but then we did well to win it." Thought now turns to upcoming start of the Youth League. "It’s a wonderful competition where you face great sides. It will be important to recover our energies to play well and increase our chances."
Vladan Dekic: "It was a difficult game. We did well to hang on against a tough team and then get the three points." Inevitably, the goalkeeper was asked about his penalty save when it was 0-0. "We could have avoided it by paying more attention but I gave my all to save it and fortunately it went well. There will be lots of ‘finals’ for us this season, we’ve overcome one of them but we have to focus on the second one now which is on Tuesday against Tottenham."
Marco Pompetti: "The heat had an impact on the match which was very physical. Today, it was important to win and we did so. We need to keep working hard to get good results on the pitch. The national team is important because it allows you to gain experience playing teams and players of a European standard. I always look to get better and help my teammates. We want to get the win against Tottenham."
Finally, it was the Coach Armando Madonna’s turn to speak: "It was a difficult match, they were a very well-organised team. In the second half, Cagliari dropped off physically and we had a bit more space. At the end, we were able to get an important win even if I wasn’t totally satisfied by the performance. You win certain games mentally and we showed that we can do that today. We need to continue with the work performed over the summer and always look to improve."
