COMO, ITALY – APRIL 12: FC Internazionale coach Cristian Chivu celebrate the victory at the end of the Serie A match between Como 1907 and FC Internazionale at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on April 12, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Cristian Chivu admits Inter ‘suffered’ to beat Como 4-3 and saw ‘maturity’ from his team at 2-0 down, but aimed a cheeky Scudetto sideswipe at Antonio Conte and Max Allegri.
The Nerazzurri really proved their Scudetto credentials this evening, because they were trailing 2-0 at the Stadio Sinigaglia to goals from Alex Valle and Nico Paz.
However, braces by Marcus Thuram and Denzel Dumfries turned it around to lead 4-2, then they held on under pressure after a late Lucas Da Cunha penalty for the final 4-3 result.
Chivu hails Inter comeback from 2-0 down
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, we were up against a team that is challenging for something important, and they proved it in the first half with mobility, pace, pressing and intensity,” Chivu told DAZN Italia.
“We were struggling and went 2-0 down, but we got a goal back and that gave us confidence. After the restart, we stepped up a gear, showed a bit of character, and we turned it around, though it was certainly not easy.”
Inter had already faced Como here last month in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final, and were held to a 0-0 draw.
Even without injured Lautaro Martinez, who asked to be on the bench this evening to be close to his teammates, Inter scored 102 goals in 46 competitive games this season.
“We trained only on set plays this morning, knowing they would be a good opportunity to score goals here,” revealed Chivu.
“It is down to the hard work of my staff and the players that we are so prolific in these situations. We have great free kick takers and players who are strong in the air, so it would be a shame not to make the most of that.”
Considering how well the hosts had started, it was a remarkable turnaround, the second time they managed to a victory after going 2-0 down, although the other side was Pisa.
“This was a victory of maturity, where we understood the moments of the match,” continued Chivu.
“With seven rounds to go, we must raise our ambitions, understand how important it is to get onto that field and extend our advantage over second place.
“We were surprised by the intensity of Como in the first half, but we reacted like a mature team.”
With Napoli held 1-1 by Parma and Milan losing to Udinese this weekend, it means Inter go nine points clear at the top of the table with six rounds left to play.
However, when asked whether they had the Scudetto in hand, Chivu aimed a jibe at Napoli boss Conte and Milan’s Allegri.
“I’ll do like my colleagues who only talk about Champions League qualification and I’ll say that we are happy to get closer to that target. Mathematically, we’re not there yet.”
Dumfries scored twice this evening, and it is easy to forget just how much he was missed during his injury over the last couple of months.
“We did miss him, as obviously with him we have a different option to attack the space, including on set plays,” admitted Chivu.
“Luis Henrique is perhaps better at keeping the ball, but Denzel has more power, he is a presence in the box and knows how to time runs to the back post, as we saw today.”
