Pioli lauds Inter spirit and determination

BOLOGNA – Stefano Pioli heaped praise on his Inter side after they showed "spirit and determination" to defeat Bologna 1-0 on Sunday afternoon.

"We weren’t at our best today but we showed that desire, kept believing right until the end and got an important result," said the Nerazzurri boss after the final whistle. "Every match we play is worth more than three points, because the teams around us are doing very well and it would be tough if we lost ground.

"I saw lots of positives in terms of our build-up play and intensity. Our mentality was right and we showed we had the will to win. It’s easy to win football matches when everything is running smoothly – our opponents made it hard for us today but we dealt with it like a top side."

Pioli also hailed Gabriel Barbosa after the Brazilian handed all three points to Inter with his first goal for the club.

"I can only say that Barbosa has always worked hard, maintained the right level of intensity and been professional. He knows that he needs to take his chances and I’m pleased that he did that today, as did the other players that came on in the second half. His goal was great, especially from a team perspective."

The coach insisted that Inter’s knack of finding the net late on is testament to the side’s character.

"The fact that we’re scoring lots of late goals is a big positive because it shows that we have spirit, determination and the desire to get results. Miranda will miss the Roma game, but I don’t regret playing him because you saw how tough it was for us today. There’s a real team spirit about us and I have the options to deal with any absences. Murillo will be evaluated over the coming days."