Vecchi: "Important to get going again in the league"

SESTO SAN GIOVANNI - Stefano Vecchi praised his side's “perfect” first-half performance against Cagliari as the Nerazzurri Under-19s triumphed in their first league fixture after the Viareggio Cup.

"We wanted to get going again in the league and we were superb in the first half today – our attitude and intensity were spot on,” the Primavera coach told Sportitalia after the final whistle.

“We dropped off a bit after the break and Cagliari came into it more. We weren't so tight as a unit but that's perhaps understandable given the score and the fact that our opponents upped their game the way they did.”

Results elsewhere mean that Inter now hold an eight-point lead over Roma, in third, and a five-point advantage over second-placed Atalanta, who visit the Stadio Breda next Saturday. Another win over their rivals next weekend would all but seal an automatic berth in the end-of-season finals for the Nerazzurri.

Vecchi commented: “It's going to be a great game. We'll make sure we prepare for it properly so that we can perform well for the whole 90 minutes, which is something we've been lacking a touch in our last few matches.”

Speaking to Inter Channel later, Vecchi added: "The most important thing today was getting the three points as it means we're a step closer to the Final Eight. If we can get a good result against Atalanta next week, it would be a huge step forward. It won't be easy though because Atalanta are a top team and they're sure to ask questions of us.”