September 19th 2024.
During the Champions League match between Inter and Manchester City, former Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian had a golden opportunity to score for Inter. However, he made a bizarre decision that left his coach, Simeone Inzaghi, infuriated. In the second half, Darmian found himself with a clear path to the goal, but instead of taking the shot, he tried to backheel the ball to his teammate Nicolo Barella, who was running behind him. Unfortunately, the backheel was wayward and City was able to regain possession as Barella slipped on the turf.
Despite Darmian's blunder, Inter still managed to earn a point at the Etihad Stadium thanks to their solid defense. However, they could have potentially taken the lead if Darmian had taken the shot instead of attempting the risky backheel. To make matters worse, another former United player, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, also missed a clear chance to score in the second half as he wildly skied his shot into the stands.
In the post-match interviews, Inzaghi expressed his frustration with Darmian's decision, asking him, "What were you playing at?" Darmian explained that he had heard Barella behind him and was trying to pass the ball to him. Inzaghi was more upset about Mkhitaryan's miss, saying that he fell into a state of despair when the player failed to score. He had been convinced that Mkhitaryan would find the back of the net.
On the other side, Manchester City's coach, Pep Guardiola, praised his players despite the goalless draw. He was satisfied with the way they played against Inter's deep defense and created clear chances, even though they were unable to convert them. Guardiola even went as far as to say that he liked everything about his team's performance, even more than their performance in the Champions League final two years ago. He acknowledged that in these types of games, it is the clear chances that make the difference. However, he remains optimistic and focused on the remaining seven games in the group stage.
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