Zielinski backs Inter to chase Champions League glory after Bernabeu display

Inter’s Champions League ambition remains undimmed after their opening-night defeat to Real Madrid. Midfielder Piotr Zielinski says the Nerazzurri believe they can make a deep run — and ultimately win the competition — after a performance he felt showed they could impose themselves at the Bernabeu.

Inter lost 2-1 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, where Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde scored for Madrid. But the Italian side generated more shots than their hosts, 21 to 16, and also recorded more touches in the opposing penalty area and more entries into the final third, according to the report.

“It showed us we are strong”

“Of course, it is our dream to win the Champions League, and we'll give it our all, we'll see how it goes,” Zielinski said, as quoted by Football Italia. “Not everyone can go to the Bernabeu and dominate the game the way we did, by keeping possession and creating chances. Unfortunately, we lost on the night, but it showed us we are strong and we proved it in Madrid.”

Inter now turn their attention back to domestic football, with a Serie A match against Parma scheduled after the international break. The report said Inter had collected 13 points from their opening five league matches, including four wins and a draw with Roma.

Their next Champions League fixture was listed as a meeting with Club Brugge on October 13. Zielinski said Inter would focus on their own progress in Serie A, while naming Roma, Juventus, Napoli, Milan and Como among the sides he expects to contend.

The report also cited an Opta supercomputer projection, at the time of publication, that rated Inter as favourites to retain the Scudetto. Those probabilities were a snapshot of the current Serie A season, not a guarantee of the final outcome.