BVB 0-2 Inter Milan – Cristian Chivu Praises Goalscorer Andy Diouf: “Understands Difficulty Of Wearing This Shirt” | OneFootball

Inter Milan manager Cristian Chivu hailed Andy Diouf after tonight’s 2-0 UEFA Champions League win at Borussia Dortmund.

Speaking to Sky Sport via FCInterNews, the 45-year-old praised the Frenchman’s maturity and endurance.

Andy Diouf joined Inter from Lens in August after the club failed to sign Roma star Manu Kone.

Furthermore, the Nerazzurri splashed out around €25 million to secure his services.

Despite a slow start to life at San Siro, Diouf seems to be finding his footing.

After showing some promise on the right wing, the 22-year-old finally got a chance to play in the middle of the park.

However, Cristian Chivu handed him only seven minutes tonight, which was enough to open his Champions League account.

Although he replaced Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the 88th minute, Diouf got on the scoresheet just six minutes later.

Meanwhile, Federico Dimarco drew first blood in the 81st minute with a remarkable free-kick.

Cristian Chivu Praises Andy Diouf After Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Inter Milan

MILAN, ITALY – DECEMBER 03: Andy Diouf of FC Internazionale celebrates after scoring their team’s first goal during the Coppa Italia match between FC Internazionale and Venezia FC at San Siro Stadium on December 03, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“The credit goes to these players and their ability to adapt to what we ask of them,” Chivu said after winning his first high-profile game in charge.

“The word ‘humility’ is the key word for this group. There are 25 players who do everything they can to be protagonists because they know that, in turn, they can step up and help the team.

“I want to highlight Yann Sommer’s performance and Luis Henrique.

“And also Andy Diouf, who was patient enough to understand where he’s ended up, how difficult it is to wear the Inter shirt, and the expectations that exist because this is a team that has built an important reputation.

“Today, he came on with the right spirit and unlocked himself by doing so.

“He has to keep going like this; we all have to keep going like this because we’ve reached an important level of maturity where we put work first.

“Humility is always there regardless of the opponent; you can win or lose, but we must never lose our attitude and mentality.”

Asked how he helped Dimarco hit this form, Chivu replied: “You’ll have to ask him.

“We’re very happy with his start to the season, with the mentality he’s shown even now, and with his desire to be decisive.

“Thank God he’s always had the quality; today we’re enjoying a mature, complete player who gives us a huge hand.

“We’re very pleased with what he’s doing.”

Inter Milan Boss Cristian Chivu Refuse to Think About Champions League Playoffs

GENOA, ITALY – DECEMBER 14: Cristian Chivu, head coach of Inter, reacts during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and FC Internazionale at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on December 14, 2025 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

Inter could face Portuguese powerhouse Benfica in the Champions League playoffs.

That would pit Chivu against his former manager, Jose Mourinho, who’s currently in charge of the Eagles.

However, the Nerazzurri coach is only thinking about the upcoming Serie A clash against Cremonese.

“I’m only thinking about facing Davide Nicola on Sunday,” Chivu claimed.

“That will be the most important match of the season because tonight we’ll sleep here, tomorrow we’ll travel and train.

“And the next match is always the most important one.”

Finally, he delivered his verdict on Inter’s first ‘big game’ victory in the Champions League this term.

“We have what we deserve,” Chivu added. “Let’s take what we’ve done without thinking about what we haven’t done.

“It wasn’t easy against this team and this crowd, which gives huge energy.

“We played a serious, mature match; we could have been more clinical in the first half in the situations we created by attacking the line, but we paid a bit for some carelessness.

“Still, we’re working hard, and the growth over the last two months has been exponential. This result can give us great confidence and self-belief.”