Inter defender Federico Dimarco is pleased to have made a major contribution to the Nerazzurri, despite disappointment in the result after their 2-2 draw with Sampdoria at the Marassi.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia after the match, the 23-year-old expressed his joy at being able to break into the Nerazzurri first team and to score his first goal in Serie A for the club.
Dimarco returned from a loan spell with Hellas Verona this summer, where he had impressed under coach Ivan Juric, and in the end it was decided that he had earned a spot playing in the first team where he could show that he belongs in the squad of his boyhood club.
The defender got the opportunity from the start during today’s match, filling in on the left side of the backline for the injured Alessandro Bastoni, and he capped off a mature display by opening the scoring from a dead ball.
“An incredible emotion to score in the shirt of your favourite team,” is how he characterized his response to his first Inter goal.
“It’s moment that I had been waiting for a long time, it’s too bad about the draw but I am very happy. I decided to go on loan to Verona, then Juric believed a lot in me and also tried playing me in the back three, even more of the wing-back role.”
On why he had to come off towards the end of the match Dimarco said, “I’m fine, I just had cramp.”
On whether he prefers to play in the back three or at wing-back he explained, “They are two different rolesto play. Better to play further up the pitch because you have a better chance of scoring or assisting, but clearly I play where the coach wants me to.”
On his loan spell at Hellas Verona, Dimarco stated that “I went to Verona to work hard and earn the right to wear this [Inter] shirt.”
“This match I felt something different for the first time,” he said, “perhaps because of starting for the first time for Inter. Today was totally different from how I came into all the other matches.”
As to the future, Dimarco simply stated that “We have to focus on the Champions League.”
