Cristian Chivu, the head coach of Inter Milan, has commended the resilience and dedication of his squad following their 2-0 victory over River Plate in a gripping group stage encounter, which secured their passage to the last 16 of the Club World Cup on Wednesday.
Francesco Esposito and Alessandro Bastoni found the back of the net in the closing stages of the match, paving the way for the 20-time Italian champions to face Brazilian side Fluminense in Charlotte on Monday.
Inter faced significant pressure from River at the outset of the clash, and Chivu, who has taken the helm of the team for his inaugural Club World Cup campaign after succeeding Simone Inzaghi on a two-year contract in early June, expressed his delight over the determination exhibited by his players to overcome such a challenge and secure the win.
“The match was played with tremendous character and a strong desire to win, to achieve our objective, even though we were a bit taken aback by their intensity, aggression, and pressure in the first half,” he stated after the match.
“Perhaps the players weren’t fully prepared initially, but in the second half, we increased our intensity… because we are strong, confident, and possess players capable of rising to such occasions.”
“I can confidently say that the performance was excellent in every aspect, as we recognised the critical moments of the game.”
Despite the perception that the Club World Cup might be viewed as merely an exhibition by elite players, Chivu insists that his squad is putting in maximum effort during training sessions.
“They consistently strive to excel during every training session as it enhances our performance in matches,” he remarked.
“They give their all, and even those five or six players dealing with injuries are still working hard to support the team. I’m pleased with their attitude; there’s a remarkable eagerness to perform well.”
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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