Article 104 — Negative End To Inter’s Season
Inter made their first appearance in a final in 9 years, their first appearance in a continental cup final in 10 years this morning against the record winners of the UEFA Cup/Europa League, Sevilla FC.
It was also the first appearance of an Italian club in the final of the UEFA Cup/Europa League in 21 years. I welcomed the final with anxiety and tension which I feel is only right going into a big game such as this. It was a final that was too close to call. Anyways, I always believe that even in a David vs Goliath final, there is every chance the underdog could upset the favourites.
This is how the final was played out:
At the end of the game, I felt dejected just like the Inter players must have felt. When the Inter players went up to collect their silver, runners-up medal, I felt like crying. I can’t quite comprehend my emotions because I felt a myriad of emotions in me. Anger, disappointment, dejection, sadness, heartbreak, nothing positive.
I am not even sure where do I start as I assess this performance in the final. We got off to a great start, winning a penalty and scoring within the first five minutes. It was our first attack, Romelu Lukaku got clear of Diego Carlos and he brought Lukaku down. When you view the incident, it looked like the initial contact happened outside the area but the foul was in the penalty area. He was the same player to concede a penalty in Sevilla’s previous two Europa League matches. Like Bruno Fernandes in the semi-final, Lukaku converted from the penalty spot.
Inter fans and the players were arguing that Carlos should have got sent off as he was the last man and if you apply the rules, that would have been the right decision and a game-changer. The referee exercised caution instead and deem the penalty punishment enough. On decisions such as these, the outcome of a final can turn on its head.
14 minutes was how long it took for Sevilla to breach our defence and find an equaliser. Sevilla worked out a nice triangle on their right-wing, their captain Jesus Navas swung in a cross that was converted by their semi-final match-winner, Luuk De Jong. It was a disappointing goal to concede.
We gave Sevilla a bit too much space to play a little triangle and get a cross in for the equaliser. The cross was not blocked off and we didn’t make it hard for Sevilla to play around us. Diego Godin too let De Jong go and the Dutchman showed his prowess in the air. There is some criticism too on Samir Handanovic for the goal and that he should have done better to stop it. I would say perhaps…But I would lay blame at our midfielders and defenders for not closing up fast enough and defending better.
We had the opportunity to re-take our lead soon after but I guess the chance fell to the wrong player. Danilo D’Ambrosio had a typical defender’s attempt at goal, skying an attempted volley on the run to meet a cross from Ashley Young. Sevilla re-took the lead and when the free-kick was awarded, I couldn’t see this coming at all. Ex-Inter player, Ever Banega delivered a free-kick into the box, De Jong leapt high to meet the ball and arch it perfectly into the bottom left corner past the despairing dive of Handanovic.
It was a great goal, not much anything we could have done about it to stop it from going in. Maybe if we had someone like Godin or Alessandro Bastoni on De Jong instead of Gagliardini, we might have been able to put him off or got to the ball first. Maybe, ifs and buts. We cannot take away the quality of the header and credit to the delivery from Banega and the header by De Jong.
It was a sickening blow to take, conceding the second goal but thankfully, we got back into the game soon after. Marcelo Brozovic showed his former team-mate that whatever he can do, he can do better. His free-kick was met by a powerful header by Godin. With that goal, Godin became the 6th player to have scored in a Champions League/European Cup and Europa League/UEFA Cup final.
That was the end of the goals in the first half but it was not the end of the incidences in that half. For Inter, on the counter-attack, Lautaro Martinez picked up the ball and ran at the Sevilla defence but flopped to the ground softly under a legitimate challenge from Navas in the penalty box. This is becoming a recurring theme with the Argentine. Had he looked up, he would have noticed that Lukaku was running alongside him. The right ball at the right time would have sent his strike partner through.
Nicolo Barella who had set Lukaku free to win the penalty had a shot that touched the hand of Carlos in the Sevilla penalty box. Another unlucky moment for Inter as the referee didn’t even review it on VAR. It would have been harsh if a penalty was given for that but we have seen it given before because according to the letter of the law if the ball touches the hand of a player voluntarily or not, it is a foul. Unlucky for us that the referee didn’t see it like that.
Finally, Lucas Ocampos got his head on the end of another Banega delivery and forced Handanovic to fingertip over in the last attack of the half. It would also be Handanovic’s final save of the game.
In the second half, the game became cagey as either side was cautious not to make a mistake. Inter had the two best chances though. D’Ambrosio’s cross from the right didn’t reach Martinez and was partially cleared by Jules Kounde. Roberto Gagliardini was coming in for the second ball but his shot was blocked by Sevilla’s defenders. They had thrown their bodies on the line too to deny Manchester United’s attackers in the semi-final and this was another timely intervention. It would have been nice and sweet if Gagliardini actually got his shot away and scored as he has been much criticised by the fans.
The next big chance was a clearer one. Barella again played Lukaku through, who sprung the offside trap, was bearing down on goal but Bono made a vital save to keep him out. It proved to be a costly miss. In games such as this, the bitter truth is that any chance created needs to be converted. That is the margins of error at this level. On Sevilla’s winner, it’s that man again, Gagliardini that has got criticised for pulling back Navas for the free-kick.
The truth is that we should have dealt with the set-piece better and we didn’t. Two players went for the same ball and no-one was quick enough to pick up the second ball. Carlos had all the time in the world to rotate his large frame and execute a bicycle kick that Lukaku, unfortunately, prodded in. Not Lukaku’s day. A devastating mistake that coupled with his miss would become the defining moment of this match.
Inter had two half-chances to equalise but couldn’t take them. First, Victor Moses couldn’t control the ball well in the box and the ball bobbled along. Fellow substitute, Alexis Sanchez couldn’t get a strong enough touch to put it in the back of the net and that allowed Kounde to clear off the line. Next, Candreva couldn’t get a good connection on a long pass forward and the ball went out for a corner kick. Sevilla managed the remainder of the match very well without being under intense pressure to win their record-extending 6th Europa League/UEFA Cup.
Sevilla’s experience of playing these finals was the difference between both sides. From the start, the players were calmer while Inter looked nervous. It didn’t help us that our manager on the sidelines was also edgy. We wasted a lot of our energy contesting decisions with the referee. Tactically, Julian Lopetegui got it right. Sevilla pressed us high and made it as difficult as possible for us to build our attacks from the back. Lukaku and Martinez were also starved off service. D’Ambrosio and Young too spent most of their energy defending rather than attacking. Sevilla blocked the routes of supply to our forwards and neutralised them. Congratulations to Sevilla for winning the Europa League.
What irritated me about this defeat was that in the two games I have watched Sevilla play in the semi-final and final, they do not strike me as a team that is invincible. They do not overwhelm and outplay you the way Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona did or Zinedine Zidane’s three consecutive Champions League-winning teams did. This Sevilla isn’t even as strong as their previous Europa League winning teams were. Yet somehow they beat Manchester United and then Inter to win the tournament. They have got the Midas Touch on this tournament.
For Inter, we started the game nervously and it is disappointing that we couldn’t hold on to the early lead for longer. In the second half, I felt we did well to take the sting out of the game and reduce the intensity in the play. However, Antonio Conte should have made a change or two sooner to try and effect a positive change on the match. We should have taken the initiative and been proactively looking to win it rather than being reactive. Conte got the timing of the substitutions wrong. Not the first time he has made the same mistake this season.
Some would criticise him for sticking with the same line-up in the German leg of the Europa League. Had he changed it and we lost the final, he would be criticised for changing a line-up that was doing well and had got the team this far. After all, there is a saying, if it ain't broke, don’t fix it. You can never please everyone. It is a risk the manager has to take with the selection of his line-up and I have no issues with the team he selected to start. I felt they justified their start. It is the substitutions that he got wrong again.
Ironically, if the Europa League was played in a regular season, I was sure Inter would have sacrificed this tournament to try and win the Scudetto. Thanks to Corona Virus and the revised schedule, we played in this revised, mini-tournament and we made the best of it. However, experience is not something you can buy. For a lot of these players, this was the first-ever appearance in a Cup final and it should showed. This experience should serve them well for the future.
Romelu Lukaku would have to be our best and most consistent player this season. He scored his 34th goal of the season in the final to equal Ronaldo’s record for the number of goals scored in a debut season. I don’t mean to be ungrateful and mean when I say this, the record he got is at the moment, the closest he can get to the Brazilian legend.
Of course, Ronaldo was a unique player and of a different class to Lukaku but for the chance Lukaku had, Ronaldo would have surely taken it. For all the impressive statistics that he has for club and country, he has still not won anything yet. That miss in a big game is partly why he doesn’t get the respect he deserves. It is unfortunate that he was to be the reason why we lost this game with that own goal. I just hope he can put this behind him and emerge again stronger next season. I hope for his sake and ours, he can be clinical in big games as well and be the difference in a positive way. This is an area for him to improve on.
I don’t like to speak about referees because they are human beings and can have off-days. I just felt the referee didn’t have the best of games but despite that, we should have still done better to win the game. Overall, it is a good season for Inter, a season of improvement. Statistically, we have a lot to take comfort from. Our highest finish in the league since 2010–11, best defensive record in the league, the best finish in the Coppa Italia since 2015–16 and first European final appearance since 2009–10. It would be exaggerating to say that we could have won it all but I am left feeling we could have won at least one trophy. That is the one regret I have from this season.
Post-match, Conte suggested that his journey at Inter could be over which is a pity and not beneficial for us. We will lose the stability to build on this season and would have to start a new project again with a new manager if he left. Conte might have his merits and demerits but I feel he has done well enough to keep his place as Inter manager. It is now a matter to be resolved between club and manager on some grievances he has during the season. I hope he stays and if he does stay, he would be more proactive in making changes during the game. Let’s see what the future holds for us now.
coppa italia semi-final 2015–16
