Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte is exasperated after thrashing Shakhtar Donetsk 5-0 in the semifinals of the ongoing UEFA Europa League in Lisbon, Portugal, on Monday.
“I have to compliment my lads, because we’ve managed to reach the final and cause a strong side in Shakhtar Donetsk, who have quality players, all sorts of problems in the process,” said Conte as quoted on the official website of Inter Milan.
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“We pressed them all over the pitch and did well to force them into chasing and defending. I’m very happy because our plan was the right one and the lads played in the right way. They deserve all the credit,” he added.
A brace each from Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, added with Danilo D’Ambrosio’s goal, inspired the Italian giants to the massive victory on Monday.
Shakhtar failed to create any genuine moment of threat whatsoever as Conte’s men outplayed their Ukrainian counterparts in all departments in the course of 90 minutes to set-up a final date with Sevilla later this week.
Speaking about the final, Conte said, “It’s satisfying for everyone. The most important thing for me is that many lads are playing this type of game for the first time and gaining experience. We’ll now be coming up against Sevilla, who have traditionally done really well in this competition, but we have the desire to amaze people. I was worried about this game because Shakhtar are a strong side, but we made them look ordinary.”
“We now need to recuperate after this magnificent display and prepare ourselves, looking to bring joy to the Inter fans, who are following us with plenty of enthusiasm. I think that our supporters can be proud of these lads. The most important thing is to not come off the pitch with regrets,” he added.