Pioli insists ‘quality made the difference’ in Milan’s ‘beautiful’ win over Inter – video

Stefano Pioli praised his side for their ‘brave’ efforts during the derby comeback against Inter, with the second half performance being the key.

Milan defeated Inter in an incredible Deby della Madonnina, as Olivier Giroud scored a late brace for the Rossoneri to keep the team in the title race against all odds. After the victory against Inter, Pioli spoke to Milan TV to offer his reflections on the game, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.

On the victory: “It’s an important victory for us, for the fans and for the standings. It was a tough game, it’s a huge satisfaction to have beaten a very strong team. We showed a brave game, with some mistakes, but in the end we have brought home the three points.”

On the performance: “In the first half we made too many mistakes on a technical level, Inter were dangerous especially at the restart. In the second half we did better, we played the game.”

On the substitutions: “The substitutions are needed, the amount of minutes a player plays is not important, but the quality. In the first goal there were many players in the area, it means that we are a proactive team. If mentally we are so much in the game, then we have the quality to do well. It’s a beautiful evening. Now let’s think about the cup, we want to go forward as much as possible.”

On what this victory means: “We knew they would expect our pressure. Dzeko was backing away a lot, Romagnoli was often good at breaking the line and moving forward. In the second half, quality made the difference.”