Lautaro hits one early to take dull Inter past woeful Verona
Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 15.01.23. | 00:38
Nerazzurri were far from excellent, but still good enough to clinch a 1-0 victory that sends them to joint third place with Juve
Three points are all that matters, so make no mistake there - Inter will forget the Verona tie as soon as possible after a pale display that brought them a 1-0 (1-0) victory at the Guiseppe Meaza on Saturday night.
The game's opening promised much more, as Lautaro Martinez found the back of the net after only three minutes following a commotion in Verona's area.
The Argentinian aimed superbly to find a pocket of space enough to put his side in front.
However, instead of surfing on that early wave, Nerazzurri settled with a boring, slow performance, keeping that one-goal lead as long as possible. Simone Inzaghi's slot probably had that shocking 2-2 draw to Monza in their minds, so they made sure history doesn't repeat itself.
Still, Calhanoglu almost doubled the lead near the half-time interval, but his effort inside the box went inches wide of the left post.
Lautaro himself managed to put it again behind Verona's keeper, but the assistant referee signalized that the South American made an offensive foul on Verona's defender Davidowitz, so the goal was disallowed.
On the other end, the visitors paid a visit to Onana's goal for the first time deep in the second half through Ghanian international Kamaldeen Sulemana. The African forward fired decently enough, but the Cameroonian custodian denied it on the near post.
This victory sends the black and blues to joint third place with Juve, 10 points behind the table-toppers Napoli.
SERIE A - Matchday 18
Friday
Napoli - Juventus 5-1 (2-1)
/Osimhen 14, 65, Kvaratskhelia 39, Rrahmani 55, Elmas 72 - Di Maria 42/
Saturday
Cremonese - Monza 2-3 (0-2)
/Ciofani 67, Dessers 83 - Ciurria 8, Caprari 19 pen, 55/
Lecce - Milan 2-2 (2-0)
/Hernandez 3 og, Baschirotto 23 - Leao 58, Calabria 70/
Inter - Verona 1-0 (1-0)
/Lautaro 3/
Sunday
14.30: (3.35) Sassuolo (3.50) Lazio (2.30)
17.00: (1.73) Torino (3.80) Spezia (5.70)
17.00: (2.04) Udinese (3.50) Bologna (4.10)
20.00: (1.43) Atalanta (4.50) Salernitana (8.50)
22.45: (2.14) Roma (3.50) Fiorentina (3.80)
Monday
22.45: (2.35) Empoli (3.25) Sampdoria (3.50)
***odds are subject to change
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