Inter, Dzeko on goal number 400: “I’m 37 and I don’t feel it”

He was one of the two Nerazzurri to have already played in the Champions League semi-final (Onana the other) and for this reason too Simone Inzaghi preferred Edin Dzeko to Romelu Lukaku. The Bosnian didn’t let him down and scored the 1-0 goal after just 8 minutes: it was the 400th goal of his career between club (336) and national team (64). In the knockout stages of the Champions League, against Porto and Benfica, the former Roma player had always been in the starting lineup, but hadn’t yet beaten the opposing goalkeeper. He did it in the right match, the first leg of the Euroderby in the semifinals. Inevitable for him to smile at the end of the match: with his 37 years and 54 days he is the second oldest scorer in the knockout phase of the Champions League. “How old am I? I’m 37 – he began smiling -, but I feel good and that’s the important thing. I felt refreshed because maybe I rested three days ago (Saturday in Rome, ed). The whole team was excited anyway: it doesn’t happen often that you make a derby in the semifinal and we were all focused from the first to the last and this paid off.”

Angle tested in training

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Edin varied across the offensive front, made the team catch their breath and played lots of balls. “Anyone who knows me knows what a player I am: I give a lot, not just goals, even though I know that when I don’t put you in, we talk about this. But I’m happy even when I don’t score, because I work for the team. The goal From a corner kick? We tried it this morning: first Tomori was marking me, then Calabria… I tried with my left foot and it went well”.

Renewal

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The two goals in Verona and above all the one against Milan will remove the last doubts about the renewal from the management. However, Dzeko was evasive about it: “When will I renew? I don’t know, ask the club…”. He is waiting for the contract which will probably arrive at the end of the season. Even better if after June 10 and with the Champions League on the bulletin board.

Mkhitaryan MVP

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However, the Armenian was named man of the match in the match, author of the 2-0: “Since the first minute – commented Mkhitaryan – we showed great will to win and scored two goals. In the second half we managed deserving success Big credit to my team-mates, but be careful because it’s not over and we have to prepare as best we can for the return that will be at home”. The regret of not having won with a better score is there and the former Roma player admitted it: “We could have scored more. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be satisfied. Is the final one step away? We don’t think about it … Let’s focus on the next match against Sassuolo and then we’ll see.”