Conte: "Winning in this manner is an important sign"

BOLOGNA – A very important and richly deserved win for Inter, who came from behind to win at the Dall’Ara thanks to Romelu Lukaku’s brace.

The 2-1 success was Inter’s sixth win in as many matches away from home this Serie A season, with the Nerazzurri being the only side in the top five European leagues to boast such a record. After the match, Coach Antonio Conte had the following to say: “The team showed a great reaction. We conceded a goal that could have destroyed us but these lads demonstrated fantastic inner strength, and this is great news for us. And they did this in a difficult match against a team like Bologna. Winning and deserving to do so is a very important sign.”

The Nerazzurri Coach was also asked about the front pairing of Lukaku and Lautaro, both of whom continue to perform admirably: “Our strikers are very important in terms of us finding solutions in our play. They’re both atypical centre-forwards who can play as the main forward and also as the second striker. They talk to each other a lot, we’re working on them and I’m very happy because, beyond the goals that they’re scoring, they’re helping the team out a lot, including when we don’t have the ball. Behind them, a promising young talent in Esposito is developing, he can have a really big future.”

On putting pressure on Juventus by leapfrogging them in the league: “We need to focus on ourselves and think about improving. In doing so, we want to show positive signs, especially to our fans. Our objective is to become credible and emerge with our shirts soaked through with sweat, and these lads are doing just this. Now, we’ll return to Milan and immediately concentrate on the Dortmund match, because we all know the importance of this fixture.

“I like challenges, I like making teams win again after a few difficult years,” the Coach concluded. “My career speaks for itself and I hope to do the same with Inter. We’re working hard and the thing that is making me happy is working with a group of serious and willing lads. Today, those who came on also did really well, they all have a drive that allows them to never give up in adversity and this is the most important aspect.”