Inter owned Borussia Monchengladbach loanee Valentino Lazaro has shared his belief that the match between the two sides in the UEFA Champions League group stage was an even one.
Inter ran out 3-2 winners in the match in Germany thanks to a goal from wing-back Matteo Darmian and a brace from star man Romelu Lukaku, a result which has given Inter a chance at qualifying for the next round of the competition.
“We needed a little time to get into the game and we were too passive in the early stages but we fought our way into the game well and the match was even on the whole,” he explained in an interview with Borussia Monchengladbach’s official club website.
“Both sides had good opportunities to score and it was an exciting game. It was too easy for them to go 2-1 and then 3-1 up. It’s a shame that we lost, but we can’t be accused of playing badly or not fighting for it.
The 24-year-old then proceeded to discuss Inter’s quality as a team and admitted that he thinks that he and his team did well, even if in the end it was not enough.
“Inter are a world class club. Even when some say that they’re out of form, you could see what great quality they have in certain situations.
“We actually managed to keep Romelu Lukaku, their striker, under real control but then with the few opportunities they had, he was involved in all three goals. Nonetheless, we combatted them well and it’s a shame that it wasn’t enough in the end.”
Lazaro then went on to sing the praises of Lukaku who grabbed himself a brace in the match at Borussia Park.
“Romelu is a great guy who always gives 110% for his side. He proved that with his goals against us. He hasn’t just been doing that for one or two years, it’s been the case for his whole career.
“He’s scored an unbelievable amount of goals and that’s why he’s worth so much to his side. You can’t keep a striker like that quiet for the full 90 minutes.”
The Austrian national team player then expressed his thoughts on Alassane Plea’s disallowed goal right at the end of the game.
“The offside for his disallowed goal was a matter of centimetres. Breel Embolo managed to get out of the way of the ball, and, from my view, he wasn’t in the goalkeeper’s direct line of sight and he couldn’t have reacted. It’s just a shame that we didn’t get the equaliser because of a few centimetres.”
In conclusion he discussed the situation in the group heading into next week’s final group stage games: “We can be proud of our performances so far in the group stage. Just like the last game, we have the opportunity to seal a place in the last 16. We won’t stop believing and we’ll give everything at Real Madrid to achieve our goal.”
