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Simone Inzaghi believes Inter have achieved “something special” by qualifying from a Champions League group that also contained Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Inter thrashed Viktoria Plzen 4-0 in San Siro on Wednesday to confirm their place in the last 16, with the victory putting them out of Barcelona’s reach.
When the draw was made, most felt Inter were the outsiders with Bayern and big-spending Barca expected to go through.
But Inter took four points from two games against the Blaugrana, results that ultimately proved crucial in beating Xavi’s men to qualification.
Inter secured their progress with a match to spare, leaving Inzaghi elated with an achievement that he feels goes beyond his previous expectations.
“To achieve this goal, the first of the season, we had to do something special and we did it,” he told Amazon Prime.
“We have grown from game to game. The opener with Bayern was tough but then we had a double-header with Barcelona that gave us a lot of belief. We are happy for the club and for our fans.
“There was hope. We knew we had ended up in a very difficult group because Barcelona and Bayern are very strong.
“We went beyond expectations, qualifying with a game to go. You have to give the boys a big round of applause.”
Romelu Lukaku’s goalscoring return from injury was the icing on the cake for Inter, who were already 3-0 up when the Belgian came on in the 83rd minute.
Lukaku – who had been out for two months – scored four minutes after his introduction, and Inzaghi is hopeful of Marcelo Brozovic following the striker in coming back into the fold very soon.
“He’s doing great,” Inzaghi said of Brozovic, who has been absent for a month with a thigh injury.
“Playing every three days, we need everyone. Now Lukaku is back, we’ll try to include Brozovic in the next few days.
“We missed them in this period because when you play every three days you must have the possibility to change personnel.”
