"At the decisive moment of the match, our players performed exceptionally well. I particularly want to mention the substitutes in the second half, like Mariga and Pandev," Leonardo said. "Sampdoria's defense was very solid, but we managed to change the course of the game with Sneijder's brilliance in the final stages. I congratulate all the boys, from Nagatomo to Chivu, from Stankovic to Eto'o, and then Pazzini... For Inter Milan, this was an extremely crucial victory."
Due to Maicon's suspension, Leonardo fielded Yuto Nagatomo as the right-back. Regarding this decision, he said: "Nagatomo did not surprise me. I know him very well and understand that he can handle both left-back and right-back positions, and he is excellent on either side. This is a great addition for the team." Additionally, Leonardo discussed Milito's recovery status: "I don't know if Milito will be ready for the Champions League. He will return at the right time, but it should be gradual."
At 2:00 AM Beijing Time on February 28th, Inter Milan defeated Sampdoria 2-0 away from home, not only shaking off the shadow of their Champions League loss but also reducing the point gap with AC Milan to just 2 points, placing immense pressure on AC Milan who were playing on Monday. After the match, Leonardo praised the outstanding performance of all Inter Milan players.
Having moved past the defeat in the Champions League, today's Inter Milan has even taken a significant step towards the league title because if AC Milan stumbles tomorrow, the gap between the two teams will be reduced to just one match. "Is this a championship-winning victory? Looking at the current situation in the standings, I feel very happy, but we still have many matches ahead, and we need to continue fighting. Inter Milan is now very calm," Leonardo said. "AC Milan had a great start to the season and they are still the league leaders. Additionally, Napoli's performance has been excellent. The road to the championship is still long, but I believe we can win the league title."
However, the match was not easy. After more than 70 minutes of intense battle with Sampdoria, Sneijder finally broke the deadlock with a free kick. Leonardo said: "To be honest, I was very upset and angry. The team's movement was good, but strangely, the players always struggled with the final shot. The ability to decide the game seemed to have temporarily left Inter Milan, but fortunately, Sneijder eventually regained his scoring touch."
Discussing AC Milan's upcoming match against Napoli, Leonardo said: "Although a draw between AC Milan and Napoli would be the best outcome for Inter Milan, I won't cheer for any team tomorrow. In fact, any result at San Siro doesn't matter. The next three matches will determine the ultimate league champion, and we cannot afford to make any mistakes." After weeks of continuous doubleheaders since taking over, these have finally come to an end. Leonardo said: "We finally have enough time to improve our tactics and recover physically. During the past period, Inter Milan hasn't had much rest, and we indeed need time to recover, both physically and mentally."
Sneijder, who scored one goal, said: "This was an important victory, really very, very important for us, because after losing to Bayern Munich, Inter Milan needed to reinvigorate. Now we are 2 points behind AC Milan and 1 point ahead of Napoli. We started tonight's match very well, and it was a tough game, so we deserve the victory."