Inter Milan 0-2 Real Madrid at San Siro is a shock that not many will have seen coming. The visiting Los Blancos took an early lead via Eden Hazard penalty and doubled their lead in the second half through Rodrygo.
Speaking at his press conference, Inter boss Antonio Conte has shared his belief that Madrid won as a result of the mistakes made by his side during the match.
“It’s already difficult enough playing sides like Real Madrid, and we haven’t had a lot of luck during the two matches,” Conte said.
“If you immediately concede and then go down to ten men, it only becomes more complicated. Unfortunately, I think we saw the difference between them and us.
“However, it shouldn’t knock us down, and we need to respond with humility as we look to go down our path. The teams are at different levels and we need to grow in every respect.
“They’ve won the Champions League on several occasions, while we’re emerging on this stage again. We mustn’t let ourselves be swayed by outside voices. We need to work to bridge the gap and return to be being protagonists.” Conte added.
Zinedine Ziadane’s side have beaten the Italian opponents for the first time and – thanks in no small part to Arturo Vidal’s first-half red card, it has been a comfortable night for Madrid.
“It was an uphill battle from the get-go: we went behind and it was then difficult to get back into it, also because Vidal was sent off, something which knocked the wind out of us,” Conte said.
“Despite everything, the lads worked hard against a great side. This is the situation, but we certainly did better in the first match against them, when we were more aggressive.” Conte added.
Inter find themselves five points adrift of the top two in Champions League Group B table. Meanwhile, Madrid now sit second, three points ahead of Shakhtar in third, and will guarantee their place in the last 16 with a win over the Ukrainians next time out.
