The victory at De Kuip provided concrete answers after difficult weeks. As highlighted by the Gazzetta dello Sport, Feyenoord was dominated and overwhelmed by Chivu‘s men, who controlled the match from the first to the last minute with a performance that, according to the newspaper, was unprecedented this season.
The success also brings with it a reflection on the Champions League journey. Staying focused on the playoff goal remains the priority, but with three wins and a draw in the remaining four matches, according to the Gazzetta, direct access to the round of 16 would no longer be a mirage.
The context makes the result even more significant: three weeks earlier on the same De Kuip pitch, Fabregas‘s Como — the next league opponent — had lost 3-2 against Feyenoord. The Nerazzurri victory, therefore, did not come against a weak team.
In terms of play, the evening marked a reversal compared to previous weeks, which were characterized by slow starts and having to come from behind. In Rotterdam, the approach was different right from kick-off: aggressive pressing, vertical play, quick transitions towards the opponent’s goal instead of the horizontal possession that had rarely produced results. Esposito, who had not scored for almost two months, found the back of the net again.
The Gazzetta closes with a question that remains without a definitive answer: why isn’t this version of Inter the usual one? The performance in Rotterdam showed that playing this way is possible. Further confirmation will be needed, but Chivu got the answer he was looking for.
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