‘They were a bit lucky’ – Bisseck, Calhanoglu and Martinez react to derby draw | OneFootball

The mood among the Inter squad seems to be glass half full after the 1-1 draw against AC Milan in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final.

It will be all to play for in the second leg on April 23 as Milan and Inter played out a second consecutive derby draw in which the Rossoneri took the lead but the Nerazzurri answered back.

After a tight first half, the game exploded into life after the break. Tammy Abraham got his name on the scoresheet once again just like he did in the Supercoppa Italiana final with a lovely turn and finish in the 47th minute.

However, Hakan Calhanoglu’s thunderous strike from 25 yards out levelled things for Simone Inzaghi’s men. It would end all square, meaning that the return game in three weeks becomes very much a one-off fixture, with the winner heading to the final in Rome.

Several Inter players spoke to SportMediaset after the full-time whistle to give their take on the fourth derby of the season, and their comments were relayed by MilanPress.

Yann Bisseck: “Compared to what happened in the first minutes of the second half, we can all do better, including me. We played a great game, there are always things to improve. We will be ready for the return match.

“Milan are a good team, with strong players and we know it will never be easy against them. In the last few games they were a bit lucky and a very good goalkeeper, but we will try to do better.”

Hakan Calhanoglu: “It was a balanced match, they had chances but so did we. In the second half we played better, we conceded a goal that cannot be conceded but the important thing was not to suffer too much because there is the return leg.

“There is still time, now we are concentrating on the next match which is very important because we are aiming for a very important objective. We will think about the derby when the time comes.”

Josep Martinez: “We knew they are a strong team, especially in transition, but we tried to always stay on top of them. We then started the second half well. I would love to play [in the final], but not just me, but all these guys. We are fighting for important goals, but now let’s think about Parma.”