Christian Kivou, Inter Milan's coach, spoke after his team's 2-1 loss to Atlético Madrid in the fifth round of the Champions League group stage, expressing the pain and regret the team felt after the match.

Kivu said: "Everyone is in pain because there is a lot of regret. We came here excited to accomplish a lot, more than to return empty-handed."

He added: "We started the match well, then conceded a goal, but we had the strength and courage to respond. We showed quality and sharpness in our performance. We sat back a bit in defense after a while, partly because the opponent deserves praise for pushing us back."

Kevo also touched on the team's problems this season: "The team has a clear issue; most of our losses have been against strong teams, and we haven't been able to perform at the required level in these matches. We created many chances, but we made mistakes in the details that make the difference."

He added about how to approach the match: "This team must know how to respond and be aware of its strength. They need to understand the key moments of the game and be more effective in front of the goal, rather than focusing too much on beautiful football. That’s what we tried to do tonight. We were prepared for Atlético’s high pressing and decided not to mark too closely, anticipating a counterattack, but that’s how the first goal happened anyway."

Regarding the team's reaction after the draw, he said: "We maintained possession steadily and with quality to secure the draw, but we couldn't hold the result until the end, nor capitalize on counterattacks to achieve the win."

Kevo emphasized the need for improvement in both defense and attack: "I believe the reaction in the second half showed patience, and we tried to exploit the spaces, asking for the ball in those areas. Sometimes, if we wait for the ball to come to us, we give the opponent time to reorganize. If we do it correctly, we won’t lose the ball easily in midfield and won’t be vulnerable to counterattacks."

He continued: "We need to perform better in front of the goal. This was our second consecutive defeat despite a good performance, but we came away empty-handed. We must be aware of what we need to do and work hard when necessary."

He concluded his speech by saying, "We will analyze the match and learn from these mistakes."