Roberto Mancini has heralded Inter Milan's never-say-die attitude after kicking off the Serie A season with a dramatic 1-0 win at home to 10-man Atalanta on Sunday.

Summer signing Stevan Jovetic marked his debut in heroic fashion by netting a 93rd-minute winner at San Siro last night.

Having struggled to break down the visitors' backline for much of the clash, Inter were handed fresh impetus on 71 minutes when Carlos Carmona was sent off.

"I celebrated because I was very happy for the players," Mancini told Sky Sport Italia. "They gave their all until the end, played well and did not deserve to have to settle for a draw.

"Plus, Stevan scored on his debut, so it was all wonderful. I expected it to be tough, as Serie A is always extremely difficult at the beginning and Atalanta defended very well.

"Despite us having about 20 shots on target, we had to wait until the very end to score."

Inter travel to newly-promoted Carpi next Sunday.