“Chivu gives the shot” » What grade did the Romanian coach receive, after his team broke away in Serie A
Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Saturday, February 21, 2026, 9:30 p.m. / Updated Saturday, February 21, 2026, 9:35 p.m.
After the tough failure in the Champions League round of 16 play-off, Inter bounced back with easy success in the championship, score 2-0, with Lecce, in a duel of the round with number #26 in Serie A. After the match, Cristi Chivu (45 years old), the “nerazzurri” technician, received a 7.5 grade from the Italian journalists.
At this moment, given that they have achieved new success in the championship, Inter have distanced themselves to no less than 10 points at the top of the Serie A standings.
The journalists from Tutto Mercato Web awarded the Romanian technician grade 7.5 for how he approached this game at the end of a complicated week after the tensions and controversies of the Juventus derby and the stinging defeat in the first leg of the Champions League play-offs.
“He struggles between the emotional work on Bastoni and the tactical indications from the field to conquer “Via del Mare”. In the end it is he who pulls the thorns out of a difficult match with two insights from the bench. He had predicted even Mkhitaryan, like a visionary. And the difference in the ranking with Milan is now considerable”the Italians noted about the Romanian technician.
What the press in Italy wrote, after a new success of Inter
Chivu strikes with substitutions and corners: Mkhitaryan and Akanji enter the field and bring Inter three golden points against Lecce.
In the end, Inter knew what was being done. And he did not flinch in the face of Lecce's resistance, who virtually gave up their attack in the second half, giving Yann Sommer a quiet day. The Nerazzurri had to wait 75 minutes before finding the right opening in Wladimiro Falcone's goal as Henrikh Mkhitaryan recovered a loose ball from Federico Dimarco's corner and brutally fired a first-time shot into the corner of the net. Seven minutes later, Manuel Akanji sent the ball where Falcone couldn't reach, following another magical touch from Dimarco.
The 2-0 goal sealed a dominant all-round game in which the Nerazzurri erased any sloppiness from the first half, locking down their opponents and getting the decisive two goals from corners to put them 10 points ahead of Milan and a boost of adrenaline ahead of the clash with Bodo at the San Siro
– FC Inter News
Inter title corners: two corners, Mkhitaryan and Akanji bring Lecce to their knees. Now Milan is at -10.
The Nerazzurri break free late in a match that was becoming difficult, extend their unbeaten streak and consolidate their position as leader in the standings.
Definition of “photocopy”: the exact reproduction, on paper or in digital format, of a document, text or image. We can even add a football match, except for one goal.
Because Lecce v Inter is reminiscent of Inter v Lecce from just over a month ago, when a move from the bench by Cristian Chivu gave the Nerazzurri three vital points. Today, the decisive choices made along the way by the nerazzurro technician are two and they bear the names of Mkhitaryan and Akanji. But the scenario of the second encounter with Di Francesco really brought back to mind the game of a few weeks ago, when Inter were in danger of getting stuck in the tactical web woven by the Lecce coach.
Finally, one of the Nerazzurri's many scorers steps in: “Mr. Fixed Phases”, “Mr. Corner” for friends. Two corners, two goals, 2-0. Inter thanks and temporarily rises to +10 against Milan, the second place holder.
– Gazzetta dello Sport
Images from Lecce – Inter 0-2
Serie A standings
