Inter Milan New Boy On FIFA Club World Cup Exit: 'Fluminense Surprised Us, We Brazilians Knew How Difficult They Would Be'
Inter Milan newcomer Luis Henrique admits last night's loss to Fluminense came as no major surprise to him and his fellow Brazilians.
Interviewed by CazeTV via FCInterNews, the 23-year-old spoke highly of Fluminense's quality and strength in depth.
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Fluminense defied the odds at the Bank of America Stadium to eliminate the Nerazzurri from the FIFA Club World Cup.
Indeed, Renato Gaucho's side emerged 2-0 winners in Charlotte despite Inter's strong pre-match favoritism.
However, Inter's self-destructive performance went a long way toward helping the Brazilians reach the quarter-finals.
The Italians' collapse started after just two minutes as Stefan de Vrij and Yann Sommer committed a grave mistake.
Unfortunately for Inter, German Cano seized their lack of communication to open the scoring.
Despite fighting tooth and nail, the Nerazzurri could find the net.
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Instead, Fluminense scored again in second-half stoppages to seal an outstanding victory in North Carolina.
Luis Henrique Offers His Verdict on Inter Milan Loss vs Fluminense
PORTO ALEGRE, BRAZIL – DECEMBER 6: Luis Henrique of Botafogo looks at the ball during the match between Internacional and Botafogo as part of Brasileirao 2023 at Beira-Rio Stadium on December 6, 2023 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. (Photo by Pedro H. Tesch/Getty Images)
After two separate stints at Botafogo, Luis Henrique is uniquely qualified to comment on Brazilian football.
Like the ex-Marseille star, Carlos Augusto is intimately familiar with Brazilian clubs.
Indeed, the 26-year-old spent two years at Corinthians before joining Monza in 2020.
However, it was Henrique who addressed the game.
'I think we Brazilians knew how difficult the match would be, maybe the Europeans didn't expect it,' he admitted.
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'Maybe we stepped onto the pitch thinking the game wouldn't be that intense, and now we have to come back stronger for next season.'
Then, he refused to use heavy weather conditions to justify Inter's exit.
'I don't think there was a lack of warning,' he continued.
'But I believe we were surprised by the quality of the Fluminense team and the quality of Brazilian football.
'You can't use the heat as an excuse because both teams felt the same thing.
'There was more desire on one side than the other.
'We lift our heads, think about what we did wrong, and come back strong for the season,' he concluded.
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