Deadly Dzeko matches Ronaldo's Inter start
Edin Dzeko has scored six goals in his first seven Inter Milan Serie A appearances, matching Ronaldo's haul from the 1997-1998 season, and the striker is brimming with confidence after his fine start.
The 35-year-old came off the bench in the second half of the Nerazzurri's 2-1 away victory over Sassuolo on Sunday (AEDT).
Inter was trailing, but Dzeko equalised less than a minute after his introduction with his first touch of the ball, and also earned a penalty that Lautaro Martinez converted to win the game.
Dzeko joined Inter in August to replace star striker Romelu Lukaku, who left to join Chelsea, but has more than made up for the Belgian's absence so far.
"Six goals after seven games, I know Ronaldo was the last to do it," Dzeko said after the game. "Inter signed me for this, I know what I can still give and they know it too."
Asked if Inter had already forgotten Lukaku, he added: "We look ahead, we are doing well, I don't think about the past. Let's continue like this."
The veteran forward praised the spirit of his new team to battle back against Sassuolo.
Inter has now avoided defeat after losing at the half-time break in three consecutive Serie A games for the first time in its history.
But Dzeko admitted that the Nerazzurri made things hard for themselves.
"Surely we showed [character] again," he said. "But we always take the most difficult road by conceding goals.
"You can't always play well, in the end the result is what counts. We were also a little tired."
Inter boss Simone Inzaghi echoed his striker's comments, admitting that fatigue played its part in his side's slow start and praising the impact of Dzeko and his fellow substitutes in turning the game around.
"Sassuolo did better than us in the first half," Inzaghi said. "In the second half, even before the changes, I saw a different team.
"Playing every three days, I need to give the team a boost, because I saw so many players tired. After the seventh game in 20 days with little training, I knew [the substitutes] would help me and they were decisive.
"I knew Dzeko as an opponent, I was struck by his availability and how he trains, he never backs down.
"I'm happy with how the team can suffer. We always stay in the game because I found a group with a great spirit. The last two games were technically not as good as the others but now we will try to recover."
