Strength in depth key for Inter

An efficient if hardly spectacular display was enough to see Internazionale FC overcome Rosenborg BK 3-0 at the San Siro as the strength of Hector Cúper's squad paid dividends.

Key goal
A 31st minute-goal from Uruguayan striker Alvaro Recoba unlocked a stubborn Rosenborg defence and laid the foundations for a win which leaves Inter needing only one point from their final game against AFC Ajax to reach the second group stage.

'A few secrets'
"A good coach always have few secrets up his sleeve and I have known now for almost a week that I would have Emre [Belözoglu], [Sérgio] Conceição and Recoba to feed [Hernán] Crespo [Christian] Vieiri up front," said a delighted Cúper after the game.

Efficient performance
Cúper was pleased with what was a very efficient performance from his side, saying: "It was one of our best performances of the season and I am generally pleased that we seem to have settled into a winning rhythm. People have criticised our performances so far this season but the results speak for themselves - we're top of Serie A and almost through to the next stage of the Champions League."

Better to come
However Crespo, who scored Inter's third goal from close range, still believes that the best is yet to come from the team. "We still have to improve a lot but things are certainly going the right way," he said, adding: "Obviously I am hot in this competition. We started the match with the knowledge that only a win counted for us and we did our homework today. So now a draw will be enough."

Patience the virtue
The Argentinian believed that patience was the key to unlocking the stubborn Rosenborg defence. "We knew that eventually the goal would come," he said. "It simply had to as Rosenborg were content only to defend while we were playing positive football and therefore our win was more than deserved."

Missed chances
Rosenborg coach Nils Arne Eggen was left to rue missed opportunities as his side bowed out of the competition. "We created a lot in the first half but only had four or five decent attempts and we were far from clinical enough when it really mattered."

'I cannot be dissatisfied'
The result was no surprise to the coach, but he maintained that with luck on their side, it could have been a different story. "In a match like this everything has to go our way in order for us to get a result and it didn't today," he said. "A lot could have been different if we had scored with our first chance of the match but in general I cannot be dissatisfied. We were beaten by a better side and I wish Inter the best in the rest of the competition."

Famous career
Defeat leaves Eggen facing retirement after a sensational spell which has seen him win eleven back-to-back domestic titles with Rosenborg. With the Norwegian season now over, Eggen pledged to retire at the end of the club's European campaign. The game against Olympique Lyonnais should provide a proud end to a famous career.