Inter Milan coach Cristian Chivu has praised the adaptability and commitment of his team after they beat River Plate 2-0 in an intense group match to reach the last 16 of the Club World Cup on Wednesday.
Francesco Esposito and Alessandro Bastoni scored the goals in the last quarter of the game to book the 20-time Italian champions a date with Brazilian club Fluminense in Charlotte on Monday.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT:
Chivu took charge of the squad for the first time at the Club World Cup, having replaced Simone Inzaghi on a two-year contract in early June.
Inzaghi departed by mutual consent after a crushing 5-0 loss to Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League final left Inter without a trophy for the first season since 2019-2020.
River put Inter under heavy pressure at the start of Wednesday's game and Chivu was delighted at the character his players showed to come through such a test and get the job done.
KEY QUOTES:
Cristian Chivu: "The match was played with lots of character and willingness to win, to reach our goal, even though during the first half we were a bit surprised by their intensity, aggression and pressure ...
"Maybe the players were not so prepared at first, but then in the second half, we raised the level of intensity ... because we are strong, we're competent, we have players that can play such a game.
"I can say that the game was great from every point of view, because we understood the moment that we understood the game."
Cristian Chivu: "They always try to add something more at every training session because this can be useful during the game.
"They give their utmost, and even those five or six players who have injuries, they're working hard to support the team. I'm happy about that, because I see a great mindset. I see so much desire to play well."