Inter striker Romelu Lukaku has given significant words of praise to the performance of his teammate Marcelo Brozovic against Benfica in yesterday evening’s Champions League win over Benfica.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, via FCInterNews, the Belgian gave a shoutout to Brozovic in particular for showing his quality in midfield to help the Nerazzurri secure a massive 2-0 quarterfinal first leg victory.
Every Inter player did their part in yesterday’s win at the Estadio da Luz, with Lukaku himself scoring a vital penalty late on to extend the Nerazzurri’s advantage to 2-0 on the night and in the tie.
In midfield, Brozovic formed the starting trio alongside Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Nicolo Barella, and the 30-year-old showed that even in the middle of a season where he’s struggled with injury, he can still be a decisive influence for this Inter team.
The Croat was composed and consistent on both sides of the ball to set the tempo in the central battle, and for his part Lukaku feels that this was vital to the win.
“It’s a very important result for us,” the 29-year-old said after the match.
“Benfica are an excellent team who he play with a lot of intensity, it was important to keep possession of the ball and not lose it in central areas,” he continued.
“Huge credit to Marcelo Brozovic for what he gives to this team, he knows how to find the right spaces, and then Nicolo Barella scored a very important goal,” Lukaku said.
“We could have killed it off with some of the other chances we had, but overall we’re happy with the result.”
Of the importance of Inter Vice-President Javier Zanetti to him, Lukaku said that “He’s helped me a lot with the mental side of things, he always tells me to keep a cool head to overcome difficulties.”
“He told me that again before the match, and afterwards I told him he was right.”
And of the attacking rotation at Inter, Lukaku said that “When you have a team with four forwards like we do, the coach has to adapt to the situation.”
“Lautaro and Dzeko did a great job, then it was easy for me and Correa to come on and make a difference for the team,” he added.
“We have to keep going like this, we’re doing a great job for Inter and for the fans.”
