Top News

Cristian Chivu said he remains “happy and optimistic for the future” of Inter despite their 2-1 Champions League loss, insisting that “we took the game to a team like Real Madrid.”

The Nerazzurri controlled long spells of the match at the Bernabeu, but two expensive mistakes ended up handing Real Madrid their two early goals.

First, a misplaced pass from Curtis Jones led to Kylian Mbappe opening the scoring, then Josep Martinez was caught in possession as he tried to dribble past Federico Valverde from just six yards out.

Although Carlos Augusto pulled one back from a Lautaro Martinez assist, both Thibaut Courtois and Josep Martinez were forced into major saves at either end before the game finished 2-1.

“I am not angry at all, I am happy with the courage and character shown by my team,” Chivu told Sky Sport Italia.

“If you make mistakes, and that’s part of the sport, it’s about how to react to them and move forward, your body language, your attitude to the end. I’d say it was a good performance tonight, trying to be dominant and keeping the initiative throughout.

“That makes me happy and optimistic for the future of this team. Mistakes happen, we knew that we’d need to allow them something in transition and the quality that they have in attack, but we stayed in the game to the very end, showed character and it was a good performance.

“I am proud that we showed courage and didn’t come here trying to play for a point, instead we took the game to a team like Real Madrid.”

Perhaps the most striking display came from Josep Martinez, who was at fault for that comical Valverde goal, but then responded with several outstanding saves to keep Inter in the contest.

“Why do you have to name him? I just said, the most important thing is how you react to errors, and Pepo reacted like a goalkeeper of a high level, because he kept his head and made some great saves.

“It’s not just goalkeepers, any player on the pitch, it’s important how you react, keep your head up, rediscover your confidence, that is what interests me.”

Inter had come from 2-0 down to beat Napoli 3-2 in Serie A over the weekend, but repeating that comeback against Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid proved too much this time.

It was also a reunion with Mourinho, who was Inter coach and Chivu a player when the club won the Treble in 2010.

“I love Mourinho like crazy for what we did together, how he stood by me and my family during a difficult time in my life, the confidence he showed in me. He is a great man, I was so happy to hug him, and I wish him all the best for this new adventure.”

Inter left the Bernabeu with 61 per cent possession and completed almost twice as many passes as the home side, while Andy Diouf was a surprise inclusion on the right wing.

“Carlos Augusto was exhausted, he could barely stand up, but I’m happy with what the wingers did. Carlos Augusto attacked the line, caused Denzel some problems, while Andy showed character to take on Cucurella repeatedly, one of the best full-backs in the world. He also showed defensive focus against important opponents.

“This is why I take the positives, this performance gives me confidence for the future,” concluded Chivu.