Inter Milan breezes past Lazio to maintain top spot

Lautaro Martinez

Share this story






Inter Milan has proven its credentials again with another classy performance when it secured a 2-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico.

Simon Inzaghi’s men have been on good form winning their last 10 a whole season as Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram showed no mercy when pouncing on Lazio’s defensive errors.

The win made Inter four points clear at the top of the Serie A table.

The Nerazzurri had this opportunity after Juventus were held by Genoa, and they took it.

Onter hit the ground running when Nicolò Casale threw himself in the way of Marcus Thuram’s shot in the opening minutes after a great first touch on the ball over the top.

Yann Sommer was called into action when he dealt with a save on a Daichi Kamada attempt on a corner and got to the Matteo Guendouzi cross before Ciro Immobile slid in.

When the hosts had their chance to register, Immobile couldn’t keep his header on target at the back post while Thuram flashed a shot across the face of goal.

Inter made Lazio pay for repeatedly giving it away when playing out from the back as a howler from Adam Marusic, led to the opening goal. His weak back-pass was easily intercepted by Lautaro Martinez, who still had plenty to do dribbling around Ivan Provedel and scoring from a tight angle past Gila. The World Cup winner celebrated by dedicating the goal to Bahia Blanca, a town in Argentina where 13 people died when severe storms saw a sports center roof cave in.

Lazio had an opportunity to restore parity immediately after the restart but failed to make use of it. Nicolò Rovella robbed Hakan Calhanoglu from bursting into the box, but Sommer parried the seemingly weak one-on-one finish by sticking out a boot.

Inter made it two, with Thuram netting his eighth of the season. Nicolò Barella saw his first through ball for Lautaro Martinez intercepted by Marusic, but it came back to him, and the midfielder instead spread it down the left for Thuram’s angled drive with his weaker left foot.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan almost made it three from a similar position on a Lautaro Martinez pass moments later, but that was denied by Provedel, who made himself big at the near post.

Lazio would experience a further setback when they were reduced to ten men. A frustrated Manuel Lazzari was dismissed for insulting the referee. The official had played the advantage on a foul on Lazzari, who seemed not to realize this and shouted an obscenity within earshot.

Mkhitaryan would later in the game be denied again ny Provedel. The Armenian met a Carlos Augusto roll across from the left, but Provedel stopped him from scoring by palming it over from point-blank range.

Leave a comment