Beppe Marotta feels that Inter Milan’s run to the Champions League final last season was “triumphant and deserved.”
Speaking to Italian broadcaster RAI Sport, via FCInterNews, the Nerazzurri CEO looked back on what was undoubtedly a major highlight of 2024 for Inter.
Inter had a tough task right from the outset in last season’s Champions League.
The Nerazzurri had to contend with a “group of death” containing Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the group stage.
It was the Blaugranas who Inter got the better of to secure a place in the round of sixteen.
And from then on, Inter beat the likes of Porto, Benfica, and AC Milan to secure a spot in the final of Europe’s top club competition.
In the final, Inter faced a dominant Manchester City side. But still, the Nerazzurri gave a good account of themselves, going toe-to-toe with the Premier League giants.
A good performance wasn’t enough. City edged Inter by a single goal to lift the trophy for the first time.
But all the same, it was an impressive run by a team who few anticipated would be in the mix in the latter stages of the Champions League.
Marotta Looks Back On Inter Run To Champions League Final
Marotta said that Inter’s run to the Champions League final was “Definitely triumphant.”
“Unexpected. But extraordinarily deserved, because it came off the back of win after win against highly respectable opposition.”
As for whether the final could have ended differently, Marotta replied “Yes.”
“Because when you lose a final 1-0, the margin between the two teams is always very small.”
“We had a good opportunity with Lukaku, but we put in a performance that was equal to them,” the Inter CEO said.
“Honor to the winners,” he said.
“But we played a Champions League final that, on the one hand, left a bitter taste,” Marotta admitted.
“But on the other hand, it gave us an awareness of what we’re capable of.”
