Inter Champions League Confidence Boost After Dortmund Win, Chivu Says

Inter kept their Champions League push alive with a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund, secured by late goals from Federico Dimarco and Andy Diouf at Signal Iduna Park. Despite the result, Cristian Chivu’s side still finished 10th in the 36-team league phase and now face a play-off route.

The win arrived after three straight Champions League defeats for Inter, which had raised concern about form. Chivu stressed that the performance in Germany must act as a psychological platform, with the squad needing extra belief heading into the knockout rounds after a difficult league phase run.

Inter’s 10th-place finish means there is no automatic passage to the last 16, despite defeating Dortmund. Last season’s finalists will now meet either Bodo/Glimt or Benfica

in the play-off round. If Inter progress, the draw sets up a last-16 showdown with either Real Madrid or Sporting CP.

The broader Champions League picture included late drama involving Real Madrid and Benfica. Anatoliy Trubin scored in stoppage time as Benfica beat Los Blancos 4-2. That result shifted the table, pushing Real Madrid into the final play-off position on goal difference and edging Marseille out of the knockout places.

Jose Mourinho again featured in a tense European night from the touchline, this time with Benfica. Chivu knows those occasions well, having played under Mourinho in Inter’s famous 2010 treble season, when the club lifted the Champions League title. That shared history adds another narrative layer to Inter’s current campaign.

Reflecting on the significance of the Dortmund result, Chivu underlined both satisfaction and regrets about certain phases of play. "We have what we deserve, so there's no point looking back on what we didn't do, but we should focus on what we did," Chivu told Sky Sport Italia. "It wasn't easy this evening in this stadium, with the energy that the Borussia Dortmund fans give them. We played with maturity and I feel we could've had more determination in the first half to attack the lines, but we were a bit too superficial. This team is working hard, the improvement over the last two months has been exponential, and this result can give a real confidence boost to the side. "

Frame itpic.twitter.com/EbIhqOfhZHInter (@Inter_en) January 28, 2026

Inter Champions League win and Dortmund’s record in Germany

Dimarco struck on 80 minutes with a precise free-kick, before Diouf added a second in stoppage time. The defeat also carried a landmark for Dortmund, who had previously won back-to-back Champions League away matches against German opposition for the first time, including last season’s 2-1 success at Bayern Munich.

Attention inside Inter now turns quickly from Champions League duties back to Serie A. "At this moment, my only thought is on facing Davide Nicola and Cremonese on Sunday, as that is the most important game," insisted Chivu. "We are forced to sleep here tonight, as the journey is too long, so we'll train here tomorrow too. We must always think of the next match, which is always the most important. "