Chivu: 'Inter ready to suffer and we lacked that' in Champions League until down to 10 men
Cristian Chivu admits Inter felt the pressure in the Champions League against Shakhatar Donetsk and explains his choices. 'We were ready to suffer and it's something we lacked before.
' The Nerazzurri had another disappointing performance in the Champions League,having lost the first two games of this seasonand seven of the last eight in the competition. However, even after Alessandro Bastoni saw red for two yellow cards in quick succession, they scraped a victory with Carlos Augusto running onto the Henrikh Mkhitaryan pass to flick the finish past the on-rushing goalkeeper.
It was far from a convincing display from Inter, who if anything did better after going a man down, as they rarely created scoring opportunities, nor did they dominate possession. Chivu sees Inter response MILAN, ITALY - OCTOBER 13: Cristian Chivu, Manager of FC Internazionale Milano, points during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD2 match between FC Internazionale Milano and Club Brugge KV at Stadio San Siro on October 13, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Including last season, Inter lost seven of their last eight Champions League games going into this evening, so the pressure was weighing on them. "It wasn't a bad start, but as the match went on, we got a bit worried about maintaining organisation against a quality side that can pass it well.
We did hold back a bit, but rediscovered a little energy, mobility and the right runs with the triple substitution. After that, we went down to 10 men and were able to add that something extra we had been lacking.
We rolled our sleeves up, realised we needed to do everything to stay united. It's not always the prettiest football that gets you results, sometimes you need heart and mentality, accepting that extra effort.
It's what the lads did this evening." MILAN, ITALY - OCTOBER 21: Alessandro Bastoni of FC Internazionale Milano walks off the pitch after receiving a red card during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between FC Internazionale Milano and FC Shakhtar Donetsk at Stadio San Siro on October 21, 2026 in Milan, Italy. "We are all important and aware that it is a long season, there's a game every three days, so you need fresh legs to maintain that level.
Sometimes experience can be enough to bring a result home if the game isn't of a high intensity," noted Chivu. "In the Champions League, you can't do that, you've got to run fast, think fast, have the right confidence to do certain things.
We were ready to suffer this evening and I feel that was something we'd lacked before."