De Vrij warning to Inter: ‘Champions League tie not over yet’ | OneFootball

Stefan de Vrij ‘knew it would be tough’ for Inter against his old club Feyenoord in the Champions League and insists the Round of 16 ‘is not over yet.’

The Nerazzurri were expecting the worst at the De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam, as Bayern Munich and most recently rivals Milan were beaten here in the Champions League play-offs.

However, Marcus Thuram’s acrobatic flick off the outside of the boot and a powerful Lautaro Martinez finish sealed a 2-0 victory, while Piotr Zielinski saw his penalty parried by Timon Wellenreuther.

It was a special match for De Vrij, who started his career with Feyenoord and received a warm welcome from the home fans, who also applauded when he was substituted.

Inter defender De Vrij respects Feyenoord

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – MARCH 05: A general view as Kristjan Asllani of FC Internazionale takes a free kick during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 first leg match between Feyenoord and FC Internazionale Milano at De Kuip on March 05, 2025 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

“I really was emotional and very grateful to the Feyenoord fans. They will always be in my heart,” the defender told Amazon Prime Video Italia.

“I knew it would be tough. We weren’t very precise in the first 20-25 minutes, so Feyenoord did well, even though they didn’t create particularly big chances. Then we scored and started the second half much better. We could’ve had a third, while they also clipped the crossbar. It’s a very good result.”

The defence is the rock of this Inter side, who have incredibly kept eight clean sheets in nine Champions League games this season, conceding only a single goal.

“We have done very well defensively in the Champions League. We all participate and that is very important. Now we’ve got to keep it going, because this tie is not over yet,” concluded De Vrij.

The second leg is at San Siro on Tuesday March 11.