Mancini lauds Inter comeback

FC Internazionale Milano came from behind to gain a 2-1 win at PFC CSKA Moskva which doubled their UEFA Champions League Group G points tally. Visiting coach Roberto Mancini said the key to victory was the way the Nerazzurri responded to falling behind, while opposite number Valeri Gazzaev bemoaned the late goalkeeping slip that allowed Walter Samuel's header to creep in for the winner – leaving the Russian club with just one point from three games.

Valeriy Gazzaev, CSKA coach
In the first half we played well, created good chances and had the advantage. In the second half Inter played better and substitutions which were the result of injuries [to Dudu and Aleksei Berezutski] weakened our position. And of course Inter's second goal was a result of a goalkeeping error just like in our previous match against Fenerbahçe. By making such mistakes we can hardly get many UEFA Champions League points. Until the injuries happened we had our best lineup with the exception of Vágner Love, who was injured playing for Brazil last week. With two losses and one draw it's difficult to do much in our group but we will prepare hard for the remaining three matches and continue to pursue our chances even if they are only theoretical.

Roberto Mancini, Inter coach
It was an important and deserved victory. CSKA are a very good side but after conceding we dominated the game and could have scored even more than two. We are sad about [Patrick] Vieira's injury but these things can happen when you return from a long absence. It's a big blow for us because Vieira is a great champion and a very important player. It's really important to have forwards who can always change a game like [Hernán] Crespo did tonight. However, I also congratulate Samuel for his goal and because he has been in great form for a long time now. CSKA made a very good impression on me. They started very well and got us into trouble early on. It's impossible to dictate a game for the entire 90 minutes so I'm satisfied with the performance of my team after their goal. We have not yet qualified but tonight we made a big step forward because this is a very important win. Now we will have the chance to earn ourselves the qualification by winning our home games.