Inter Milan star Nicolo Barella revealed his frustration after tonight’s 2-1 home loss to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League.
Speaking to Sky Sport via FCInterNews, the 28-year-old refused to hide his disappointment with an early knockout elimination.
Despite facing a two-goal deficit from the first leg, Inter had hoped to turn the tie on its head.
Indeed, the Nerazzurri had taken the field in high spirits after extending their lead at the top of the Serie A table to ten points.
Even after a goalless first half, there was a feeling that Inter could pull off a second-half comeback.
However, Manuel Akanji made a costly error just before the hour mark, allowing the visitors to break the deadlock.
When Hakon Evjen made it 2-0 in the 72nd minute, it was clear that there was no way back for the runaway Serie A leaders.
Meanwhile, Nicolo Barella delivered another energetic performance in the middle of the park, though he failed to inspire a comeback.
Nothing went Inter’s way this evening, as they wasted numerous promising chances on either side of halftime.
As a result, the Italian giants will not compete in the Round of 16 for the first time in five years.
Nicolo Barella Disappointed After Inter Milan 1-2 Bodo/Glimt Loss
“Today, I don’t think they really troubled us,” Barella said. “We conceded a goal from an individual mistake, that’s part of football. Today it was Manu [Akanji], other times it’s been other teammates or me.
“These things happen. The hardest part was breaking the deadlock, and we didn’t manage it. Credit to Bodo – they won twice against us and deserved to qualify.”
Then, he revealed his disappointment.
“Of course, absolutely. The disappointment is there; we’re not hiding it because we want to compete on all fronts. We tried, but they were better.
“We missed out by a point, and because of a penalty given in the 90th minute (referring to Inter-Liverpool), we ended up having to play two extra matches and make the trip to Bodo. That’s football – it’s the new Champions League.”
However, he insists Inter had hoped to compete for the most prestigious European trophy until the end.
“Our goal was always to compete on all fronts. Then sometimes you get eliminated by Atletico and still win the Scudetto.
“This year we’re 10 points clear and exited against Bodo. The objective has been the Scudetto since the start of the season.”
can we chip this guy out to another league please???! completely useless for to seasons!!
agree. If we will have to sell someone in summet, please let it be Barella. Bring Stankovic, right now Stankovic is at least as good as Barella, plus he has lots of potential to grow further. Barella is a wasted material. Barella is good for defensive football like Conte or Spalletti.
we can not make a 20 year old playing in the Belgium league our central midfielder..we need proven players, from top leagues to be our key players. Stankovic is a bet for future, not as a starter at the moment.
stankovic only looks like a decent player because he plays in a very weak championship