After Como’s heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Inter, Cesc Fabregas couldn’t hide his admiration for Hakan Çalhanoglu, who scored two goals and provided an assist to spark a stunning comeback. The former midfielder described his fascination with the Turkish playmaker, comparing him to legends of the game.
“This is probably the cruelest night of my promising coaching career,” Fabregas admitted. Como had led 0-2 at San Siro after a 0-0 draw in the first leg, seemingly on their way to the Coppa Italia final. But Çalhanoglu, along with Petar Sucic (who scored one and set up two), orchestrated a turnaround that saw Inter win 3-2. “I’ve won a lot… and lost even more. So I understand the journey. Even if we had won, I would have said the same. We must stay calm and build the team piece by piece.”
Fabregas was generous in defeat, praising Çalhanoglu: “There aren’t many players like him. I’m in love with him. When we play against Inter, the first thing I worry about is whether he’s playing or not. These champions always find solutions.”
The Como coach went further in his admiration for Inter’s tempo-setter: “He’s a player I really like because there aren’t many in football like him—people like Pirlo, Modric, Kroos. Seeing him at this level is incredible. He builds everything around him and makes the team play.”
Fabregas now aims to secure Champions League football for Como, currently fifth and five points behind Juventus with five games remaining.