Mourinho: pressing Real the result of hard work, crazy match

Speaking to Movistar, José Mourinho analyzed the match against Inter with words that capture a hectic evening. “I prefer to call it a crazy match. Usually, you get a lot of criticism when a game is boring, but today was madness: it could easily have ended 7-6,” said the coach.

The manager then explained the difficulties faced during the match: “We had an emergency situation in midfield, Inter made substitutions very early and I didn’t have many alternatives for that area. I made changes when I saw the players were struggling, but I think they did an excellent job. It certainly wasn’t a boring match.”

Real Madrid could have sealed the result already in the first half. “We had the chance to go 3-0 up in the last minute,” recalled Mourinho, who then wanted to highlight his players’ merit: “I want to give credit to my players, because pressing is something you train for and Federico Valverde’s goal is the result of hard work.”

There was also praise for Vinicius: “He worked hard, incredibly hard. I know it, we all know it and he knows it too: he’s not yet fully brilliant, he’s not yet completely ‘Vinícius’, but he works hard; and anyone who works hard and gives their all deserves respect.”