Dzeko: Inter loss against Manchester City in Champions League final ‘a big regret’

Inter’s defeat in the 2023 Champions League final against Manchester City is still lingering in Edin Dzeko’s mind, as the former Nerazzurri striker admitted it was a ‘big regret’

The Nerazzurri surprisingly made it all the way to the Istanbul final in the 2022-2023 season after an exciting run that saw them beat city rivals Milan in the previous round, only to be eventually defeated by Pep Guardiola’s side.

Dzeko scored four goals from 13 games during that Champions League campaign, and Inter coach Simone Inzaghi started him over Romelu Lukaku in the final. The match was tighter than many expected and the Bosnian striker believes the Nerazzurri ‘could have made it’.

Dzeko regrets losing Champions League final: ‘I can’t watch Manchester City goal’

“For sure, it’s a big regret,” Dzeko told Gazzetta dello Sport when asked whether he still thinks about Inter’s defeat in the 2023 Champions League final.

“From time to time, on Instagram, I see Manchester City’s goal and I immediately scroll away, I can’t watch.”

“If you watch that game, I mean living it from inside, I had a strong feeling that we could have made it. It leaves me with a sour taste.”

Inzaghi was harshly criticised on the occasion for not including Lukaku in Inter’s starting line-up, but Dzeko pointed out that the Belgian striker had ’30 minutes’ to make an impact on the game.

“Everyone can talk… But I say: do you think that a coach can choose to field a player who is not as good as the one he keeps on the bench? And doing it in a Champions League final?,” the former Inter striker noted.

“I remained calm, I knew what I could give to the team. For sure Lukaku was not happy not to start, it’s normal.

“But then you come on and make a difference, if you can: he had 30 minutes [in the Champions League final], he came with the scoreline still being 0-0, and then…”.

In the same interview, Dzeko admitted Inter’s decision to let him leave at the end of that season felt ‘strange’, as the Nerazzurri could have kept him ‘at no cost’ but eventually decided not to renew his contract, as he was free to join Turkish side Fenerbahce.