Inter can compete against anyone – Icardi revels in Champions League victory

Mauro Icardi insisted Inter can compete against anyone after the stuttering Italian side completed a dramatic turnaround to upstage Tottenham in the Champions League.

Late goals from captain Icardi and Matias Vecino saw Inter to a stunning 2-1 victory over Tottenham at San Siro in their Group B opener on Tuesday.

Inter – coming off a shock loss to Parma having only collected four points from four Serie A games to open the season – trailed until the 85th minute, when Icardi and Vecino struck twice late on in Milan.

Icardi revelled in the result following a turbulent start to the 2018-19 campaign for Luciano Spalletti’s Inter, who face Sampdoria on Saturday.

 | A truly special evening. Thank you #InterFans for all of your passion and support! #ForzaInter #InterIsHere pic.twitter.com/oboa4IyJxs

— Inter (@Inter_en) September 18, 2018

“We know we’re a strong team and that we can compete against anyone, we’ve been waiting for this match for three months and it gives us a lot of strength for the league,” Icardi told Sky Italia.

“A match like that, in the Champions League, gives you so much but one game means nothing.

“We have to stay calm, take the good things we’ve done and go to play on Saturday with a different mentality.

“The environment was ugly in these past few weeks, but a game like this gives us confidence. Vecino has popped up like that for two crucial wins, but what’s most important is for Inter to win.”