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April 30, 2010

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Scenes of 'madness' greet Inter back home

AROUND 1000 fans greeted Inter Milan with deafening chants and a giant cardboard cut out of coach Jose Mourinho when the side arrived at the airport yesterday after reaching its first European Cup final since 1972.

Delirious fans, long starved of success on the top European stage, honked car horns and waved giant flags in Milan city center long into the night after the 0-1 semifinal. One banner at the airport read "Welcome Back Heroes" after Mourinho had lauded the rearguard action of his 10-man team and said reaching the final was better than winning the trophy in 2004 with Porto.

Defender Ivan Cordoba described the reaction at the airport as "madness" while teammate Maicon was more cautious given the team, chasing an unprecedented treble of Serie A, Italian Cup and Champions League, could still end up losing all three.

"We haven't won anything yet," the Brazilian said.

"It is an indescribable emotion, Mourinho is the greatest coach in the world. I've got tears in my eyes," Inter fan Marco said. Mourinho, at loggerheads with the Italian media and soccer establishment, has always been adored by Inter fans despite saying he hates Italian football.

The headline in yesterday's Gazzetta dello Sport read, "Inter: Wall of Glory" - next to a photo of defender Walter Samuel hoisted on the shoulders of Christian Chivu. Samuel's nickname is The Wall.



 

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