Inter Milan veteran Matteo Darmian understands the potential consequences of tonight’s UEFA Champions League defeat at Bayer Leverkusen.
Speaking to Sky Sport via FCInterNews, Darmian admitted it will take the ‘usual’ Nerazzurri to secure direct progression into the round of 16.
Inter were minutes away from holding Die Werkself to a scoreless draw at the BayArena and taking a giant step toward automatic qualification.
However, Nordi Mukiele had other plans.
Indeed, the French defender snatched a late win for the German side, throwing Inter’s top-eight hopes in doubt.
It’s still everything in their hands, but the margin for error is now at a minimum.
Simone Inzaghi paid the price for refusing to attack Xabi Alonso’s team and has no one but himself to blame for the result.
Fortunately for Inter, they’ll have over a month to prepare for their next Champions League assignment.
They take on Sparta Prague in the penultimate round before entertaining Monaco at Giuseppe Meazza.
As things stand, they’ll likely need all six points from those two matches to avoid calculations.
Inter Milan Defender Matteo Darmian Says What It Takes to Reach Champions League Round of 16
Darmian covered for the injured Denzel Dumfries tonight.
Though he had a decent game, he also played his part in Leverkusen’s winner, losing track of Martin Terrier.
After the game, the 35-year-old explained what Inter must do to avoid knockout playoffs.
“It will take the best and most consistent Inter,” Darmian said.
“We know there are many matches to play, but we will prepare in the best way possible.
“For now, we step away from the Champions League since it resumes in January and focus immediately on the league.
“Monday’s match will be very important for us.”
Inter will face Serie A high-flyers Lazio in an early Scudetto six-pointer next Monday.
That will be a perfect opportunity for Inzaghi’s side to atone for tonight’s underwhelming performance.