Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella is happier with the team winning against Napoli than he is for his individual goal.
The 26-year-old spoke to InterTV after the Nerazzuri’s 3-0 Serie A win away in Naples, via FCInterNews. He also stressed the determination to give absolutely everything until the end.
Barella hadn’t scored this season prior to yesterday’s match.
Whilst the previous couple of seasons had seen the former Cagliari midfielder become more and more of a goal threat, this one hasn’t quite shown the same.
Barella had started to find his range in terms of assisting goals.
However, the Italian international had yet to score one, either in Serie A or in the Champions League.
That’s not necessarily a big problem. Inter were hardly lacking for goals in Barella’s absence.
But there was a sense that the 26-year-old still had something more to give.
And against Napoli yesterday, Barella showed exactly what Inter have been missing from him so far this season.
The Italian had already provided an assist for Hakan Calhanoglu to score Inter’s opener.
But that was just a simple layoff before the Turkish international found the back of the net with a brilliant strike from range.
For his own goal, Barella had something much more special in store.
The 26-year-old slalomed past the Napoli defenders in the penalty area with a series of deft touches. And then he kept his composure to slot the ball past Partenopei keeper Alex Meret.
It was a great moment from one of Inter’s star men.
But as far as Barella is concerned, the real importance lay in the fact that his goal helped the team get a vital result.
Inter Midfielder Nicolo Barella: Happier For Win Than Goal Vs Napoli
Barella stressed selflessness. “I play to give the team a hand. I try to do better for them.”
“Today I finally scored, and I’m happy for that,” the 26-year-old continued.
“I hope I’ve broken my duck now, considering the times I’ve already hit the crossbar, the post, shot just wide,” Barella remarked.
“But I’m happier about the win than I am about my goal.”
“Coming to Naples and winning 3-0 certainly isn’t easym” Barella continued.
“Regardless of how the match went, we’re willing to come here and suffer,” he said.
“They have the Scudetto on their chests for a reason.”
Barella said that “We’re happy. We want to play for it right until the end. We’ll keep giving our all right until the last match.”
The Inter midfielder then stressed that “The group is the most important thing. This is a team game.”
“As I said, I can only thank my teammates,” he added. “Because in a somewhat difficult moment for me they stuck by me and made me feel important.”
“I also dedicate this goal to to them,” Barella concluded.
