The two sides went into halftime tied at 1–1.
The away team's locker room.
Assistant coach Herrera was extremely unhappy with the goal they had conceded in the first half!
He harshly berated left-back Santon, blaming the goal on that defensive failure, which had let Callejon get past him cleanly.
"Santon, you bear a great deal of responsibility for that goal. You played in the Premier League for three years. What, did you defend that recklessly there too? That Spanish winger made you look foolish!"
Santon was momentarily at a loss for words!
This was his first appearance since returning to Inter Milan during the winter transfer window.
And he had been completely beaten by Callejon, nicknamed the "Spanish Scooter," directly leading to the goal that followed.
Santon felt awful. The 24-year-old lowered his head.
"I'm sorry, Coach. I apologize for my mistake. In that moment, I couldn't twist my knee back in time. But I promise, I won't ever let anyone overpower me like that again!"
"Again? You're thinking about there being an again? There won't be another time," Herrera sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "This is Serie A. Defense is the foundation of everything. If your knee can't handle playing at this level, I honestly don't know what the point of your return to Inter Milan is."
At those words, Santon's heart gave a jolt.
Can my knee really not handle playing in Serie A anymore...?
When he'd made his debut at seventeen, he'd been hailed as the next Maldini in Italian football!
He'd once represented Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League and successfully shut down Cristiano Ronaldo back when he played for Manchester United, earning the Portuguese star's respect and a post-match request to swap shirts.
But today, his coach was actually saying he wasn't