Goalscorer Lautaro Martinez said his Inter Milan side “showed what we were made of” after a 2-1 win at Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter final on Tuesday.
Martinez gave Inter the lead late in the first half, blasting in after a no-look backheel from Marcus Thuram.
Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller equalised on the 85th-minute mark but Inter retook the lead just three minutes later, Davide Frattesi polishing off a lightning-quick counter attack.
Speaking with Sky Germany, the World Cup winner said his side showed their “character and personality” with and without the ball.
“It was a complete performance. I’m really pleased because once again on a difficult ground the boys showed what they were made of.”
The victory was Inter’s fifth in a row in the competition, marking the first time they have won that many consecutive games since winning it all in 2010.
The loss was Bayern’s first at home in the Champions League in 22 matches.
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said his side’s desire to win was more important than the result.
“Even in the 91st minute we didn’t stop thinking about how to win the match even though we’d conceded a few minutes before…
“The boys were brilliant, let’s keep going.
“It’s a huge performance and it gives us great satisfaction… but we have to follow up on what we did here in seven days.”
Inter goalie Yann Sommer, who won the Bundesliga with Bayern before joining Inter in 2023, said his side would not try and protect their lead in their bid to make the final four.
“We go into every game to win,” Sommer told Amazon Prime.
“I think it’s dangerous to go into a game to try and play out a 0-0. We want to go further and that requires a great performance.”
