Inter striker Edin Dzeko is glad to have helped his team to get three precious points against Sassuolo this evening, even though they did not look at their best at the Mapei Stadium for long periods.
Speaking to Italian news outlet DAZN after the match, the Bosnian emphasized the importance of winning the match above all else.
Dzeko came off the bench during the second half as part of a quadruple-substitution made by coach Simone Inzaghi, who will have been desperate to shake things up with his team looking as though they were struggling to find a foothold in the match.
The Bosnian made an impact more quickly than the coach would have ever expected, scoring with his first touch less than a minute after coming on as he sniffed out a well-placed Ivan Perisic cross with a clinical diving header.
The 35-year-old undid the work that Alessio Dionisi’s men had done to establish the one-goal lead which they were well worth, and never looked back, looking at his individual best and winning the decisive penalty which saw his team take all three points on a difficult evening.
“I’ve scored many goals, but I don’t remember another one with my first touch of the ball,” he reflected. “There is a first time for everything.”
Asked whether he thought this Nerazzurri had strength of character he replied, “Of course, we showed it again today. But we always take the hardest road by having to score goals. You can’t always play well, in the end it’s the result that matters.”
On his record of six goals from his first seven games for the Nerazzurri the Bosnian stated, “I know that Ronaldo was the last to do it. Inter signed me for this, I know what I can still give and they know it too. Today it was only the result that mattered, we were also a little tired.”
And on his burgeoning partnership up front with Lautaro Martinez, Dzeko said, “We look forward, we are doing well, I really don’t think about the past. Let’s continue like this.”
