Inter midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan felt that while there was a bit of tension that the players had to shake off, the Nerazzurri proved that they can rise to any occasion as they beat Viktoria Plzen yesterday.
Speaking to InterTV after the match, the 33-year-old stated that the first few minutes of the 4-0 Champions League group stage win were tough, but after that the Nerazzurri really found their feet.
Inter knew that they needed three points against Plzen or else risk needing a win against Bayern Munich.
The first few minutes of the match saw the Nerazzurri feeling out the match, and it was not quite clear that they’d be able to break down a Plzen team who were organized in defense.
However, as Inter settled down and became patient, the openings began to appear.
The Nerazzurri exploited them, and in the end were well-deserving of the emphatic 4-0 victory which saw them reach the knockouts.
“We knew we had to win this match,” Mkhitaryan said, “it wasn’t easy and in the first few minutes there was a bit of tension for us.”
“From the very first match we believed in ourselves,” he continued, “we knew it wouldn’t be an easy group, but we showed on the pitch that we’re a united group.”
“We knew that Viktoria would play more defensively and we had prepared for the match with the idea of playing a higher defensive line.”
The 33-year-old noted that “We created a lot of chances and in the end we scored the goals we needed.”
“We’re Inter, we’re a united group, and we can win any match.”
