Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho paid tribute to their away fans after last night's Champions League triumph at the Nou Camp.

Barcelona defeated Inter 1-0 in the second-leg of their semifinal, but were bundled out 3-2 on aggregate.

Mourinho said: "Obviously when you reach the Final, you want to win it. The fact we faced Barcelona four times on the way and also Chelsea, it means a lot. I reiterate that Inter are now a European force, so if they don't win it this time, they will the next year or the one after.

"I thought my empathy with the Chelsea fans was impossible to find elsewhere, but I have found even more with Inter.

"It was impossible to see where our fans were in this huge stadium, but at the 85th minute I could hear them and knew they were up there. They suffered with us and we had to thank them."

However, when asked if he would stay on the Inter bench next season, Mourinho refused to answer.

"I don't want to discuss this. We have two Finals in Rome - against Lazio in Serie A and the Coppa Italia. That is all I'm focused on right now."