Inter defender Matteo Darmian feels that the team have given a clear response to their critics on the pitch by reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League against Porto.
Speaking to InterTV following the Nerazzurri’s goalless draw at the Estadio do Dragao, via FCInterNews, the 33-year-old made clear that the Nerazzurri have always backed themselves.
Inter have come in for quite a bit of criticism in recent matches, particularly after their loss away to Spezia in Serie A on Friday.
That always made yesterday evening’s Champions League round of sixteen second leg against Porto even more important than it already would have been, as it gave the team that much more to prove.
If this had been thought of as something that could result in some nerves in the Nerazzurri players, they did not really show it.
“We showed the kind of grit that was needed, we needed an evening like this after what happened in La Spezia,” Darmian said, “a lot has been said about us, but we’re well aware of the kind of group we are.”
“We’re celebrating tonight, and then already tomorrow we’ll be turning our focus to the next match which will be a massive one for us,” he went on.
“Then we’ll see who we get in the next round, but we can give anyone a tough time,” he added.
Darmian then noted that “We really wanted to reach the next round and we showed it.”
“We knew it would be difficult, they’re a good team,” the 33-year-old added, “there were periods of the match where we had to suffer, but we did what we had to do in those moments.”
And of the team’s defensive performance, Darmian said that “When you go without conceding a goal, it’s always a sign that you’ve defended well.”
