Alisson Becker admits Inter Milan deserved a result during their 2-0 Champions League defeat to Liverpool while adding that the nearly joined the Serie A giants as a teenager, speaking to Calciomercato.
The Brazilian international must felt that he had 90 difficult minutes ahead of him when Liverpool travelled to take on the most prolific side in Italian football on Wednesday night.
In the end, Alisson probably could have brought his Sudoku book to the San Siro. During 90 frantic minutes in the Guiseppe Meazza, he didn’t have a single save to make.
Though that was not for a lack of trying, as far as Inter were concerned.
Statistics can be misleading.
That Inter didn’t muster a shot on target against the Premier League giants disguises the fact that, for most of Wednesday’s encounter, there was only one side who looked like scoring.
And it wasn’t Jurgen Klopp’s visitors.
Ivan Perisic gave Trent Alexander-Arnold nightmares. Denzel Dumfries caused plenty of problems on the opposite flank.
And, if Inter had shown a bit more care and composure in the final third, it could be Liverpool – rather than Simone Inzaghi’s unfortunate hosts – plotting a route back from 2-0 down ahead of the return leg at Anfield.
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“Inter created various opportunities,” says Alisson. “But we were good at neutralizing every shot or cross they took. Then we took advantage of the opportunities we had.
“It was certainly a difficult match and the draw would have been fairer. Inter played a great game. We put it in (the net), which is the thing.
“In any case, we have to be careful about the return to Anfield. Inter are a team full of strong players. They will come to Liverpool to fight.”
In another world, Alisson could have been standing between the sticks at the other end of the pitch when Liverpool came to town.
Six years before joining Roma from Internacional in a bargain £7 million deal, a teenage Alisson came within touching distance of a move to Inter instead.
“Was I close to Inter? Yes, that’s right,” Alisson admits.
“I was also talking to my agent about it tonight. I was 17 (when Inter showed an interest), but it eventually faded. In any case, I am delighted with the path I took.”
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