Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi was surprised by the referee's decision to decline their first-half penalty shout for a Sadio Mane handball in Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich.
The Nerazzurri were denied a penalty in the 10th minute despite referee Ivan Kruzliak consulting VAR when Mane appeared to raise his arms to block Nicolo Barella's goal-bound shot.
Despite Inter's early pressure, Bayern took the lead from Benjamin Pavard's 32nd-minute header, before Eric Maxim Choupo-Mating settled the points with a long-range 72nd-minute strike.
The match had no consequence on placings in Group C, with both sides already locked in for the last-16, but Inzaghi was still surprised by the referee's call on the Mane handball.
"The penalty? It had never happened to me that a referee recalled by the VAR turned it down," Inzaghi said.
Despite that, Inzaghi was delighted with his side for progressing in a group featuring Spanish giants Barcelona, who finished third.
"We've progressed from a difficult group, achieving something that makes us really happy," he said.
"This evening, we played well against a really strong side. We had a few chances to take the lead, and there was also the penalty that wasn't given.
"We were then punished for our first lapse in concentration. However, the team did well. We were able to rotate the squad, which is something we got out of it."
Inzaghi said the Nerazzurri would quickly turn their focus back to Serie A, with three games prior to the World Cup break, starting with a tough trip to Juventus on Sunday.
The 2021 Italian champions are currently sixth in Serie A, eight points behind leaders Napoli, but in the midst of a four-game winning streak.
"We fought hard for this qualification and will see what happens in February to enjoy the tournament, but for now we need to focus on Serie A," Inzaghi said.
"We are coming off four consecutive victories, but we dropped a lot of points early, we know that the fixture list is not simple for us until the break, but we must try to do the maximum."
Inzaghi expecting Arsenal reaction after Newcastle defeat
Inter boss Simone Inzaghi is expecting a difficult test against "one of the best teams in Europe" when Arsenal visit the San Siro in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Arsenal come into the encounter against the reigning Serie A champions on the back of a defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League last weekend.
Mikel Arteta's side have now lost two of their last three league games, having tasted defeat just once in their 25 games in the top-flight (W21 D3) in 2024.
But Inzaghi, who helped Inter keep pace at the Serie A summit with a controversial 1-0 win over Venezia, is expecting a reaction from the Gunners.
"We are facing one of the best teams in Europe, very recognisable with a great coach," Inzaghi said.
"We all know how the big teams react after a defeat. Look at us after the derby... You find teams out for redress.
"I saw the match between Arsenal and Newcastle. Playing at Newcastle's home is not easy, but it was an open and fascinating match.
"We will find a team that lost two-and-a-half days ago, they will want to play a great game at San Siro."
Inter lost the Derby della Madonnina 2-1 to Milan in September, but have since gone on to win seven of their eight games in all competitions.
Inzaghi's side are just ahead of Arsenal in the Champions League table, with both teams picking up seven points from their opening three games.
The two sides have only met previously in the 2003-04 Champions League – both games were away wins (Arsenal 0-3 Inter, Inter 1-5 Arsenal).
While history favours the visiting side, Inzaghi has said his side will try to dominate possession against Arsenal in order to remain unbeaten in the competition.
"If you see Arsenal among 100 teams, without knowing the name, you recognise them. They played for the last two English titles, point for point with Manchester City," he said.
"We will have to try to keep the ball as much as possible, we know that we are facing a team that put on a lot of offensive pressure.
"We know that it will be a problem for us when they have the ball but the opposite is also true."
Arsenal have also struggled in recent games in the Champions League in Italy, failing to find the back of the net in their last four away games in the country.
Emmanuel Adebayor was the last Gunners player to score there in a 2-0 win over Milan in March 2008, and Inter will be confident of keeping it that way.
Although only five teams have faced more shots in the Champions League this season than Inter (53), they have kept three clean sheets so far.
Neymar suffers fresh injury blow
Neymar sustained a new injury as he was forced off during Al-Hilal's AFC Champions League Elite win over Esteghlal.
Aleksandar Mitrovic plundered a hat-trick on Monday to seal a 3-0 win.
But Al-Hilal's victory was soured by an injury to Neymar, who had to make way just 29 minutes after he came on as a second-half substitute.
The Brazilian, who has just returned from over a year out of action following a serious knee injury, was forced off with what appeared to be a thigh issue.
Indeed, Monday's appearance was only the 32-year-old's second for Al-Hilal since his comeback.
He has featured just seven times for the Saudi Pro League champions in all competitions since his big-money move from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.
Inzaghi urges Nerazzurri improvements ahead of Arsenal, Napoli clashes
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi acknowledged his side need to be more ruthless in front of goal following their Serie A win over Venezia, with matches against Arsenal and Napoli coming up.
Lautaro Martinez's first home goal in league action since February handed the Nerazzurri a hard-fought 1-0 win at San Siro, though they missed several chances to make their victory more comfortable.
Inzaghi's team racked up 20 shots worth 2.41 expected goals (xG) to Venezia's seven attempts and 1.07 xG during Sunday's game.
They have now scored in each of their 28 league games at San Siro after failing to net in three in a row between March and April 2023, but Inzaghi knows they must take their chances when they face Arsenal and Napoli this week.
"We should’ve been more clinical, but to be honest, I congratulated the team because the first half was excellent even if we wasted big opportunities," he told DAZN.
"Once we broke the deadlock, the big regret is that we didn’t kill off the game and when it is in the balance, anything can still happen."
Arsenal visit San Siro in the Champions League on Wednesday, before Napoli – who are currently one point clear at the top of Serie A – make the trip on Sunday.
"In two days we are up against one of the best teams in Europe with huge quality, so clearly my focus right now is on Arsenal," Inzaghi said.
The 48-year-old expressed concern about the challenging schedule ahead but felt relieved after seeing key players return.
"This is our fifth game in two weeks, there are another two to come against Arsenal and Napoli, but we’ve got Hakan Calhanoglu back and Francesco Acerbi will be available on Wednesday too," he said.
"Carlos Augusto is the only one still out and as a coach I will need everyone."
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