Djed Spence was named Man of the Match after virtually two assists in Inter’s 3-0 Champions League win at Feyenoord, but officially just one. ‘I’m just happy,’ smiled the England international.
Although the official statistics will only show one assist for the opening Yann Bisseck goal in Rotterdam, Spence’s deflected pass did end up on the head of Francesco Pio Esposito for 2-0 as well.
There was very nearly a third, as Esposito was offside on another Spence roll across that was disallowed, while Piotr Zielinski completed the 3-0 rout.
Spence shining at last for Inter
“Grateful for the win, I’m happy with my performance, I’m just happy,” Spence told Inter TV.
“I’m adapting well, the team and manager welcomed me in. I feel good, I hope to help the team and they can help me.”
The England international was the cheaper alternative to Inter’s first choice Marco Palestra for the right wing-back role, after Chelsea out-bid them for the Atalanta talent.
Injuries after the World Cup forced the former Tottenham Hotspur man to wait until October 10 before finally making his debut in the Nerazzurri jersey.
He has had only three starts and this was his first goal contribution for the Italian club, but that is not all.
Spence had never previously managed an assist in any of his previous 16 European appearances for Tottenham and Rennes.
Named Player of the Match by the UEFA Technical Observer Group, the praise for his performance explained why this award was handed out at the final whistle in Rotterdam.
“He dominated the game in the first 35 minutes with two deliveries from the right to help Inter establish a commanding early lead, as well as achieving a high passing accuracy, showing blistering pace and demonstrating his world-class potential within Cristian Chivu’s 3-5-2 system.”
