Marotta: "A tough night and deserved defeat, but our journey remains"

“It’s been a tough night. We faced an opponent who completely outclassed us. Beyond the final scoreline, the defeat is clearly deserved. That said, it shouldn’t overshadow the season we’ve had; you just need to think of the journey we’ve been on in the Champions League. We came up against a very strong team, and we’re truly sorry for the many fans who came here to support us. Reaching this night, this final, was incredibly difficult. We fully deserved to get here, beating Bayern Munich and Barcelona along the way. We fell short today and didn’t put up the fight we wanted to, but I want to thank the staff, the coach and everyone. The journey we’ve been on this season – one that has lasted 59 matches – shows that this team belongs on this stage. However, it’s ended in defeat. Our assessment of Inzaghi hasn’t changed. As I’ve already said, he still has one year left on his contract, and, over the past four years, he’s proven himself worthy of the role he holds. He’s shown great professionalism, and one disappointing night doesn’t erase all his achievements. We’ll meet and talk, regardless of how the final went. There are no excuses, but it’s clear that Italy no longer has the financial power it once did – we can’t compete with clubs like PSG that operate with virtually unlimited budgets. That said, Made in Italy remains a product capable of achieving great things. We’ve proved that twice, thanks to the quality of our coach and players. We’ve played a leading role. Then there are teams who are more likely to be favourites and who end up winning.”