CONTE: “HEAD AND HEART WERE KEY, A SPECIAL NIGHT”

MILAN - Milano is ours once again. Conte’s Inter secured their second Derby win of the season after a superb comeback to beat AC Milan 4-2, fighting back after having gone in at the break 2-0 down. The decisive goals came from Brozovic, Vecino, de Vrij and Lukaku.

Antonio Conte had the following to say after full-time: “It was certainly a special night because we really struggled in the first half, perhaps more than ever this season. There was the risk of being embarrassed, but we did well to regain our balance and understand where we had to improve. We did fantastically to have faith in what we had prepared and all credit goes to the lads, who never fell down in the difficult moments. This means that we’re on the right track and we’re preparing ourselves to do something great."

As for the Nerazzurri regaining top spot, the Coach was calm: “It’s too early to discuss the Scudetto, even if it’s only right to dream. A really intense period now awaits us, therefore, we’ll have to wait until after the next few matches to consider whether we can have different goals compared to last season. On Wednesday, we have the Coppa Italia semi-final, while we will then face Lazio away from home. It takes time and patience because results don’t come overnight. In any case, the lads demonstrated great strength and skill tonight. 

“We know what went wrong during the first half and we made the necessary changes. Everyone assumed their responsibilities and we all made it out of a tough situation united, succeeding in turning the game around in the second half. We must keep that in mind for the future. This match helps us to understand that we must use our heads before our legs. Playing with head and heart is often more important than mere running and the second-half result was down to that.”