André Onana’s fight with Dzeko caused a sensation on Wednesday evening in the first leg of the Champions League diptych with FC Porto. The former Ajax player, now under the crossbar at Internazionale, got into a fight with Edin Dzeko, while midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu nipped the issue in the bud. Afterwards, the main characters explained how the explosion could have happened.
“It’s a normal situation, we’re playing in the Champions League and everyone wants to win,” Calhanoglu explained to Sky Sport Italia. The Turk put his hand over Onana’s mouth as the Cameroonian scolded the experienced Dzeko. “We’ve already laughed about it, these things happen when the adrenaline is running high,” he added.
Onana also addressed the situation. The goalkeeper played a great game, but it was mainly about his confrontation with Dzeko. “This is part of the game. Sometimes you have a misunderstanding with players, but it is to improve the team. It doesn’t need to be inflated. I am a player who takes responsibility. If I make a mistake, I concede a goal.”
“If the adrenaline makes us angry, it also helps us win games,” Onana said. The goalkeeper didn’t want to mince words further. And he was right, because a late goal from substitute Romelu Lukaku gave Inter a great starting position. “Tonight it helped. So a situation like that is welcome,” he added.
Sergio Conceiçao’s return to Italian soil
The fixture also witnessed an emotional return for Conceiçao. The Portuguese coach played as a midfielder for Parma, Inter and Lazio in Serie A. At the latter club, he was a teammate of current Inter coach Simone Inzaghi. “It’s always emotional for me to be here, you all know the love I have for Italy, a country that welcomed me when I was only 22-23 years old,” said the manager.
“I played less at Inter because I got injured early, after great seasons at Lazio and Parma. But that is all in the past now,” the father of Ajax player Francisco Conceiçao looked ahead to the Champions League match. “It is not a match between Inzaghi and Conceiçao, but between two clubs with a rich history. I am very happy to see Simone again, we worked together in Rome and won important trophies together,” he added,
Because of his Italian past, Conceiçao (48) has been linked several times with a trainer’s move to Serie A, but he says that has never been the case. He addressed, “No never. I love Italy, it’s a beautiful country, I learned so much here as a player and from the coaches I worked with, you can always learn from everyone, even the gardeners. My experience in Italy was important, but not decisive, because everyone has their own ideas.”
