Inter ‘never stopped believing,’ say De Vrij, Thuram and Zalewski | OneFootball

Stefan de Vrij and Marcus Thuram praise Inter for the way they ‘kept believing’ in a derby point against Milan, while Nicola Zalewski enjoys the ‘rollercoaster’ debut after his move from Roma.

It was a dramatic Derby della Madonnina at San Siro, the third edition of the campaign after the Rossoneri won 2-1 in Serie A and then fought back from 2-0 down to win 3-2, lifting the Supercoppa Italiana in Riyadh on January 6.

Tijjani Reijnders had given Milan the lead by meeting the rebound from Yann Sommer’s save on Rafael Leao, but Inter thought luck was really not on their side when seeing three goals disallowed, then hitting the same upright three times in the second half alone.

It wasn’t until the 93rd minute when Zalewski chested down a Yann Bisseck cross for the De Vrij close-range equaliser that they snatched a point.

“We always want the victory, we had taken the initiative today as well and Milan only took the lead on the counter-attack,” De Vrij told Sky Sport Italia.

“However, if you are losing at the 90th minute, then a draw is good too.”

Memorable Inter debut for Zalewski

epa11870885 Stefan De Vrij of Inter celebrates after scoring the 1-1 goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Inter FC, in Milan, Italy, 02 February 2025. EPA-EFE/NICOLA MARFISI

Zalewski had to complete his transfer from Roma, on loan with an option to buy for a total of circa €6.5m, by midnight last night to ensure he was eligible for this match.

It proved decisive, as he gave De Vrij the assist for the equaliser.

“The last few hours have been a rollercoaster for me, we did everything in a rush yesterday to make sure I could be available today,” Zalewski said on Sky Sport Italia.

“It was an unlucky match, but we did well to keep believing until the end.”

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Milan 1-1 Inter

Thuram followed the comments from De Vrij and reiterated that in the circumstances, Inter had to make do with this minimum result from the Derby della Madonnina.

“We are not satisfied, because Inter want to win every game, but seeing how it was going, hitting the woodwork and getting three goals disallowed, we can be content with a point. When you keep pushing and it won’t go in, you get the feeling it is not your day, but we kept believing,” Thuram told Sky Sport Italia.

“I crumbled at the final whistle, more that I was down mentally rather than physically, but we know there is another important game coming up against Fiorentina.

“In the first half we didn’t play our football, but we came out for the restart with more hunger and also more joy. We created so much and got a deserved point.”