Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi says his side were unlucky to lose to Manchester City after falling to a 1-0 defeat in the Champions League final at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

“We do have regrets because defeat is the worst thing in sport but I have to congratulate my lads,” Inzaghi said after the final was decided by a solitary second-half goal from Rodri.

“They are very disappointed but they should be very proud of the way they played.

“We didn’t deserve to lose. We played against a top team, absolutely, but Inter also played a great final.”

The Italian team was a surprise finalist, and this is the first time they have been here since they won the tournament in 2010 when Jose Mourinho was their coach.

But they held their own for a long time and were very close to tying the game after falling behind. Federico Dimarco’s header hit the bar, and late in the game, substitute Romelu Lukaku’s close-range shot was stopped by goalkeeper Ederson.

“We were on a par with Manchester City. We are very disappointed but as I said yesterday (Friday) I would not change my players for anyone else and tonight everyone saw why I said that,” added Inzaghi.

Inter wins both the Italian Super Cup and the Coppa Italia, giving them two trophies at the end of the season.

They also finished third in Serie A, which means they will play in the Champions League again next year.

“The team has proved over the last three months when everyone is available that it is up to playing in this competition and we can have our say in it,” Inzaghi added.

Photo by EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU