Vecchi praises Nerazzurri display

MILAN – Stefano Vecchi oversaw his young outfit comfortably beat Genoa in their first outing of 2017 this morning, a win that keeps them in first place in Group C.

"We played well against a strong opponent," the Nerazzurri coach began after the game. "We picked up where we left off at the end of 2016. This win helps us stay ahead of the pack and we've ended the first half of the season top of our group.

"Apart from the first ten minutes, when there were a few dangerous situations, we didn't give anything away. We've put in a top performance, without offering our opponent any chances. Now let's focus on the other fixtures to come because there are a lot of matches to play before this crucial month ends. We've got Palermo away on Saturday, another tough opponent. From previous contests, these games are always hard-fought; we hope to keep hold of first place.

"We needed it after the Roma tie in the Coppa Italia," Vecchi continued. "I'm hoping this is a start of another positive run like at the end of 2016."

The under-19 boss wrapped up his post-match analysis with a few words on Moussa Souare's fantastic display: "I'm delighted for him because he hasn't played too much but he always trains in the right manner. He hasn't spoken up or complained and made sure he was ready when the chance came. He deserved this hat-trick."

The full interview will be shown on Inter Channel at 19:30 CET.