Milan-Inter, Zhang in the locker room at the end of the derby. And with Cardinal…

Steven Zhang rejoices in the stands and is ready to open his wallet: two million euros gross is the prize that the club will pay to the players in the squad in case of qualification for the final. The president was visibly satisfied at the end of the game. And in fact he wanted to go down to the locker room to congratulate the team and the coach. However, he was keen to send a message of attention to everyone: “It’s not over, guys. Now let’s put our heads on Sassuolo, then think about the return”. However, the frost continues with the patron of Milan Gerry Cardinale: the two ignored each other in the stands.

Maybe there will be an opportunity for the return match. But in the meantime, as of yesterday evening, Istanbul seems like Sesto San Giovanni for Inter: one step away from Milan, on the edge of the city and with a team that was celebrating last night. But Zhang’s message was received: the climate in the locker room was festive but also one of awareness, because there is still no return before thinking about June 10th. And it is no coincidence that it is the refrain of all the players who show up to speak. Read Mkhitaryan, midfield professor. “There is regret for not having scored more goals, in fact – said the Armenian -. But we have to be satisfied with the two goals. From the first minute we showed great will to win, then in the second half we managed and won. Great credit to my team-mates but it’s not over, we have to prepare ourselves as best as possible for the return to our home. Is the final a step? We don’t think about it, just head to the next game, let’s see if we’ll make it to Istanbul”. Acerbi is on the same wavelength: “We’re happy, but we haven’t done anything yet – said the defender -. We didn’t get back on the pitch well in the second half, we have to be careful. No, we don’t feel close to Istanbul. It’s the qualification issue is still open, Tuesday will be a very tough match in which the details will be decisive, we will have to keep our concentration high”. And maybe even keep an eye out for Leao’s recovery: “He’s perhaps their strongest player, but our game must always be the same. Now we can achieve something unimaginable at the beginning of the year. To succeed, we’ll have to do better than what we did in the first 90 minutes.” And Lautaro too: “The result is important, but the work has just begun”. And Bastoni concludes: “We played as a great team, we could have scored the third and fourth goals but we never gave up. It went just as we had planned it. Now they will have a knife between their teeth, but we are ready: not every year you get to play in a Champions League semi-final.” Think of a final, then…