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<\/picture><\/div>\nMILAN, ITALY – APRIL 17: Cristian Chivu, Head Coach of FC Internazionale Milano, looks on prior to the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Cagliari Calcio at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on April 17, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Cristian Chivu is glad Inter \u2018enjoy their football\u2019 after sweeping Cagliari aside 3-0, but continues to resist Scudetto celebration. \u2018Thank God we achieved Champions League qualification.\u2019<\/p>\n
The Nerazzurri are ever closer to Scudetto glory after a hard-fought 3-0 victory over Cagliari at San Siro.<\/p>\n
It took until the 53rd<\/sup> minute to finally break the Sardinians down with Marcus Thuram tapping in the Federico Dimarco assist, then moments later Nicol\u00f2 Barella rifled in another.<\/p>\n Piotr Zielinski put the icing on the cake in stoppages with a ferocious strike into the top corner.<\/p>\n Last week, the coach took a sideswipe at his rivals by saying their primary objective was a Champions League spot, so with Como\u2019s defeat today that is now mathematically certain.<\/p>\n \u201cI was being ironic last week, but not joking, so we\u2019re very happy,\u201d smiled Chivu on Sky Sport Italia.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were aware of how important this match was. We had a few problems in the first half, we moved it too slowly, and that allowed Cagliari to cover the spaces very well. We spread them wider after the break, pushed the forwards up, and also raised the intensity level.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen this team breaks the deadlock, it starts to enjoy its football and go for more ambitious moves. This is a team with quality, they are great players and they enjoy themselves on the pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n Chivu was asked if he can see the belief in the eyes of his players in the locker room, but had a curious answer and added more sarcasm.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see their eyes often, as they are always looking down at their phones. I call this the one-hand generation, they\u2019ve always got a phone in one hand, they do other things with the other\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cWe are aware of the hard work we\u2019ve done, of what we did to become competitive, and thank God we have now achieved the objective of Champions League qualification with five games to spare, so now we can look forward and try to be competitive to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n This result means Inter are momentarily 12 points clear at the top of the table, awaiting Napoli and Milan matches over the weekend.<\/p>\n They went into this round with a nine-point lead and know that at the very least that will remain intact going into the final five rounds.<\/p>\n Inter now have to prepare for the Coppa Italia semi-final against Como on Tuesday evening, as the first leg ended 0-0 at the Stadio Sinigaglia, so it is all to play for.<\/p>\n Having received so much criticism this season, Chivu is still on track to end the campaign with two trophies.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are human elements too, we mustn\u2019t forget how tough it was for these lads last season, but they challenged themselves, did not back down, and always reacted during ups and downs in the season.<\/p>\n \u201cThey built something here over the last few years, and were determined to maintain the good things they had been put together.\u201d<\/p>\n How does Chivu think Inter can step up a gear next season to be competitive in the Champions League as well as in Serie A?<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not easy, as you are up against teams of a certain level, especially the Premier League sides that spend an incredible amount of money to keep reinforcing. We have a thousand examples of teams who spent so much and still discovered it\u2019s no guarantee of Champions League success.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to be competitive, one of the objectives of all clubs is to qualify for the Champions League, so it\u2019s not a joke really, because everyone want to participate in that tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n Inter President Beppe Marotta said before the match that a new contract with Chivu would not be an issue.<\/p>\n \u201cI never talked about this to them, because I was busy with achieving the Champions League qualification. Is it achieved? No, not really. I\u2019m not superstitious, I just prefer to focus my energy on football and not my future,\u201d replied the coach.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nChivu continuing to mock media<\/h2>\n
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