How Inter players reacted to 2026 Coppa Italia final victory: Thuram, Zielinski and more

The Inter players have all praised head coach Cristian Chivu and the team’s resilience after a tough end to the 2024-25 campaign following last night’s Coppa Italia final victory over Lazio, which has earned the Nerazzurri a domestic double for the first time since Jose Mourinho was in charge. Here is how the players reacted after full-time.

An Adam Marusic own-goal and a second from Lautaro Martinez before half-time handed Inter a 2-0 lead over Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday night, which was enough for the recently-crowned Scudetto-winners to hold onto. The Nerazzurri have now won 10 Coppa Italia titles: Only Juventus (with 15) have won more.

It has been an impressive turnaround under Chivu, who is still only in his first full season as a head coach.

At the end of Simone Inzaghi’s reign last season, Inter lost out on the Serie A title in the final round of the season, before being dismantled 5-0 by PSG in the Champions League final, and many had predicted that it would be difficult for the squad to bounce back on a psychological level.

In the end, the Nerazzurri squad proved their doubters wrong and this was a common theme among the post-match interviews at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday night.

Captain Lautaro Martinez said: “It means a lot, because it was not easy after what happened last season, to get back on track, but we managed a truly remarkable season. We showed good results, performances, intensity, so I am proud that we are finishing with another trophy that means so much.

“There is always so much talk about Inter, but you have to look at what we’ve achieved over so many years. We have to keep just sticking to our path, this is another trophy.

“We’d give Chivu a 10 out of 10, because he helped us so much.”

His strike partner Marcus Thuram added: “I’m very happy, I’m proud of the team and of our season.

“From the beginning, when I arrived at Inter, I knew that this is a special group and we have to show that on the pitch. I’ve always had faith in this group.”

Summer signing Luis Henrique said: “I didn’t expect to win one (trophy), let alone two! I’m very happy, congratulations to the whole group. We deserve this victory because we’re a very strong team.

“When I first arrived, I understood that it’s a very strong team and that we could still raise the level.

“The coach has given me confidence and I expect to have an even better season next year.”

Centre-back Yann Bisseck said: “It’s a great feeling, it’s been a long journey. We worked a lot after last season and it wasn’t easy, but the team showed a great reaction and the two trophies are well deserved.

“I’ve always had a lot of confidence in myself, but for a player, it’s more important to have confidence from the coach. With him, I know that even if I make a mistake, I will still play in the next game. That’s given me a lot. I congratulate him because it wasn’t an easy job after last year. Now we’re very happy with these two trophies.”

Piotr Zielinski added: “Everyone who knows me doesn’t think that I’ve been a ‘revelation’ this year, I’m happy to have been able to prove my true worth. I’ve been doing fine and I’m very happy with what we’ve done. Winning the double is amazing, I thank these guys because we couldn’t have done it without them. It’s a fantastic, united group, we hope to win more together.