More than a party night! Inter and Naples they close the Tuesday of the Champions League with a defeat and a draw, making life quite complicated in terms of qualification. But if for the Azzurri, all things considered, the road to the round of XNUMX remains downhill, so it is not for the Nerazzurri, who will now necessarily have to beat Slavia Prague and Barcelona, the latter still in full tussle and therefore unable to give "gifts" , not to say goodbye to the most important cup.
The regret is so much, because Inter of the first half was simply fantastic, legitimizing the 0-2 and giving the impression of being able to score again. But then, just like what happened at the Camp Nou, the second half collapsed, with the Germans even capable of coming back and going on to win the game. It is therefore legitimate to expect a furious Conte and indeed it was like this: only that the crosshairs, once again, ended up on the club, guilty of having given him (according to him) a too short squad to handle the double championship-cup commitment at high levels .
“I find it hard to scold the boys, I just have to thank them for what they are giving – thundered the Nerazzurri coach. – The same things happened in Barcelona, even worse because we were two goals ahead. I'm tired of repeating the same concepts over and over again, let some managers come and talk… Everything could have been planned much better, I don't want to come up with alibis but I hope that these defeats will make things clear to those who need to understand them”.
The physical collapse of the second half seems to prove him right, as if his parents, after having spent so much in the first part, had run out of petrol. Beyond this, however, Inter also have some faults, because the attitude of the recovery cannot be explained only by tiredness. The team almost gave the feeling of having rested on their laurels, almost as if the 0-2 in the first half had already closed the game. Mortal sin, because in doing so we have gone from an almost certain qualification to a rather complicated one, shall we say.
The start had been exceptional, with Inter taking the lead immediately after just 5' thanks to a personal action by Lautaro Martinez, who first literally moved Akanji, then quickly burned Hummels, finally beating Burki. Dortmund threw themselves forward but the Nerazzurri, still with a full tank, closed all the spaces perfectly, restarting with their foot on the accelerator and perfect geometries. On one of these came Vecino's goal, perfect in finalizing an action born on the Brozovic-Candreva axis (40').
It seemed done, but the second half started again in the opposite way. The Germans found confidence and, above all, the 1-2 goal with Hakimi (51'), also lucky to beat Handanovic with a dirty touch. From then on, however, it was a real yellow tide, which led to the inevitable 64-2 in the 2th minute, this time thanks to a throw-in managed very badly by Candreva and Brozovic and blocked on goal by Brandt.
Conte tried to run for cover by inserting Lazaro, Sensi and Politano in place of Biraghi, Vecino and Lukaku, the product however, despite the inversion of factors, remained the same and therefore with Favre's men attacking ferociously in search of the 3- 2. Which, fatally, arrived in the 77th minute again with Hakimi, thrown into goal by Sancho for the inevitable, at this point, overtaking goal.
Now Inter, to go through, will have to win in Prague and repeat themselves at San Siro against Barcelona, or limit themselves to making 4 points in the hope that Borussia won't pick up more than one.
Much better situation for the Napoli, which instead, despite yesterday's failed match point, remains more than the favorite in terms of qualification. But the Azzurri didn't have to win only for the standings, but to calm a very nervous environment, almost on the verge of a nervous breakdown, in which the president orders the withdrawal and the coach publicly declares his opposition.
The 1-1 draw at San Paolo certainly didn't improve the situation, so much so that at the end of the match, in defiance of all UEFA regulations (fine coming?), Ancelotti did not appear at the press conference, preferring instead to return directly to the withdraw. Decision already taken previously or daughter of some further disagreement? The next few hours will clarify everything, but in the meantime the air around Napoli remains heavy, regardless of a group which, barring sensational twists, will be overtaken.
However, Salzburg caused several chills, also because Koulibaly, after just 11', knocked Hwang down with an inconsiderate intervention, handing the ball to the young (but very good) Haaland to make it 0-1. It was there that San Paolo trembled, aware that qualification had really been put at risk. However, Lozano, finally decisive, brought back, if not the smile, at least the breath: his right foot in the bottom corner to beat Coronel (44 ') put the match back on a track that has never changed, thus allowing Ancelotti to breathe a sigh of relief. However, the climate remains heavy in the Napoli home and even Inter, after Conte's umpteenth outburst against those who pay him, will not experience serene hours. Champions power, capable of taking you from sky to dust overnight.
