04/03/2002

INZAGHI LOOKS BEYOND MILAN DERBY DEFEAT

AC Milan forward Filippo Inzaghi has backed his team-mates to bounce back from the derby defeat to Internazionale – and insisted that their next match against Bologna is the most crucial game of their season.

Victory on Sunday will put them back in contention for a Champions' League place and lay the demons of the Milan derby to rest.

Inzaghi said: "They are really disappointed, but all of us know that the crucial match for our season will be next Sunday against Bologna."

Frustrating to watch from the sidelines, Inzaghi admitted: "I'm really eager to be back. I had tried to accelerate to see if I could play in the derby, but then we preferred to be patient."

Coach Carlo Ancelotti was initally despondent after Christian Vieri's lucky goal sealed the 1-0 victory for Inter.

He said: "The result was excessively punishing. We didn't deserve to lose. Before the goal, we had a well-balanced game – in fact, we had been a little better than Inter.

"For the goal, they were lucky to gain from Abbiati's rebound. We just have to carry on like this – we expressed ourselves well, and we don't have to waste it."

Alessandro Costacurta, who was replaced by Martin Laursen in the second half, seemed more reflective than his manager: "Maybe we can say that Inter deserved to win, as they showed concentration for all the 90 minutes.

"We suffered a lot for the Thursday match against Roda. During the last 15 to 20 minutes we were completely without energy.

Turning to his own immediate future, the influential centre-back said: "I know that I'm close to quitting. I'm 36 but I still love to face young players, showing that I'm able to play at this level. But in my life there is something still missing. I love Milan but I want to build a family and that could help me quit soon."

[Onefootball.com]