Marseille manager Didier Deschamps expressed his delight as the French side progressed on away goals after the 2-1 defeat against Inter Milan.
The 43-year-old coach admitted that it was a tough match at the San Siro given that both sides were defensive but hailed his side’s tenacity which saw them through.
He said after the match: “We had tough moments in the game. We struggled to score. There were chances for both sides and we were a bit shy offensively, but we hurt them in a similar fashion to the first leg; in an Italian style.
“We knew that we could have conceded again but especially that we had to score. We feel huge pride. It shows that, in football, belief is key until the final whistle is blown.
“It’s fabulous, I think we were great. We are so happy to have reached the quarter-finals. It is extra special considering the number of fans that travelled to the game.
“There is an Italian journalist who said I was unbeaten at San Siro, either as a player for five years or as a coach. I am no longer undefeated, but we qualified!”
Deschamp then revealed that Brandao, scorer of the winning goal minutes after coming on, promised him to score when the substitution was made.
“When I put him [Brandao] on, he told me he would score. It’s fabulous, ”
Brandao also spoke positively of the encounter which sees his side qualify for the last eight for the first time since winning the inaugural competition in 1993.
“There have been difficult moments since my return [to Marseille], but tonight we [showed we are] a group that wins together. I thank all the supporters who have pushed a lot.”
Inter Milan Coach Ranieri: “We were punished unfairly”
“To concede two goals like that in stoppage time… when I think that they only had three shots on goal over the 180 minutes. But if you score the goals then you win the game.” Those were Claudio Ranieri’s first comments after the match.
“We should have been a bit more compact in the first half; we managed that in the first 20 minutes but not afterwards. In the second period I asked Sneijder to drop back into midfield more to serve the forwards but then he got injured. It’s a shame because the team gave so much, they gave it everything. Now they must keep giving everything and we’ll see what we can do in the league,” the Nerazzurri coach explained.
Ranieri continued with his analysis of the game: “We knew they would attack down the left but they were controlled well by our defence; we weren’t able to get forward. Why didn’t Cambiasso start? Poli offers me more drive at the moment.”
The coach continued: “The team couldn’t have done anything more – apart from maybe have a bit more luck. The coach is always to blame of course, but we’re also paid to take the blame. We were punished and I think unfairly. Over the 180 minutes we created more chances but that’s football for you – the good and the bad of football. It’s not a positive year. Will Inter be overhauled now? No, it doesn’t need to be overhauled, just restructured, and the club is already aware of that. We’ll keep battling but the wind will have to change – this team can’t give any more than what they are already giving.”
