Inter Milan edged closer to Serie A leaders Napoli on Sunday, securing a 1-0 victory over Venezia and moving up to second place in the league standings.
Matteo Darmian scored the decisive goal in the 16th minute, capitalizing on a rebound after Lautaro Martinez’s shot was saved by Venezia goalkeeper Filip Stankovic, who is on loan from Inter.
The win came just days after Inter suffered a painful loss in the Italian Super Cup final against AC Milan, where they squandered a two-goal lead. Despite injuries to key players, including Francesco Acerbi, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and the absence of regular starters Marcus Thuram, Benjamin Pavard, and Federico Dimarco, Inter managed to dominate the match.
Venezia’s goalkeeper Stankovic delivered a standout performance, denying Davide Frattesi in the 67th minute and nearly setting up a counterattack that ended with Gianluca Busio hitting the post.
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi praised his team’s resilience, stating, “It wasn’t easy after losing the final the way we did, but the boys were brilliant because we came here tired with a host of players out but we played really well.”
Napoli, currently one point ahead of Inter, have the chance to extend their lead with a match against Verona, although they face challenges with the potential departure of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris Saint-Germain for a reported €80 million. Inter, however, have two games in hand, including a fixture against Bologna on Wednesday and a rescheduled December match with Fiorentina.
Elsewhere in Serie A, Genoa claimed their first home win of the season under Patrick Vieira, defeating relegation rivals Parma 1-0 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Morten Frendrup’s deflected strike in the 65th minute secured the victory, lifting Genoa to 11th place with 23 points, five above the relegation zone.
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The win was significant for Genoa’s new majority shareholder, Dan Sucu, who attended the match. Sucu recently acquired a 77% stake in Genoa through a €45 million capital increase, marking the end of 777 Partners’ controversial ownership. However, the takeover is contested by Advantage Capital, a 777 creditor, which claims rightful ownership of Genoa’s football assets.
Parma remain just one point above the relegation zone and face crucial matches against Venezia, Lecce, and Cagliari in the coming weeks.
AFP
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