Newly crowned Serie A champions Inter put Lazio to the sword in Saturday’s mouth-watering clash at the Stadio Olimpico. The Nerazzurri thrashed their rivals 3-0 in their home setting, just days before their meeting in the Coppa Italia final.
With the Olimpico showpiece around the corner, Inter had to make a statement and show that their recent struggles on the road are firmly behind them. Cristian Chivu’s men had won just one of their five previous Serie A games outside San Siro, but Lautaro Martinez inspired them to a perfect start at the Olimpico.
El Toro thumped home a stunning volley to open the scoring in the sixth minute, with Marcus Thuram picking up an assist. The Nerazzurri captain then set up Petar Sucic for the second late in the first half. The Croatian midfielder beat Edoardo Motta with a superb first-time effort from the edge of the box to double Inter’s lead.
Despite Maurizio Sarri’s triple substitution early in the second half, Lazio’s hopes of bouncing back disappeared in thin air after Alessio Romagnoli received a straight red card for a cynical tackle on Ange-Yoan Bonny. However, the hosts wasted several decent chances to make a contest out of this before Henrikh Mkhitaryan landed a knockout punch in the 76th minute.
Inter (3-5-2)
Josep Martinez (7/10) – Inter never required his services in the opening 45 minutes. However, he had to make a terrific diving save to thwart Gustav Isaksen in the second half.
Yann Bisseck (8/10) – Untested by Pedro, the German defender had plain sailing in the first half. Nearly tripled Inter’s lead at the start of the second half, but Motta denied his close-range shot with a massive save.
Francesco Acerbi (6/10) – Despite lacking speed to deal with Tijjani Noslin’s pace, the Italian veteran made light work of the Lazio forward today, cutting him off from the game in the first half. However, ran out of steam after the break.
Alessandro Bastoni (7/10) – With Lazio failing to mount any attacking threat on his side, the Nerazzurri stalwart had a field day in what could be one of his last appearances in Inter colors.
Carlos Augusto (7/10) – Given a rare chance to start ahead of Federico Dimarco, the Brazilian wingback completed numerous forward runs and even put Motta to the test. Made a vital block to prevent Isaksen from scoring.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (7/10) – Complacent at times, the 37-year-old had a terrible game, misplacing several routine passes. Yet, he atoned with a well-taken goal to put the game to bed.
Petar Sucic (8/10) – Chivu’s decision to deploy the Croatian star as Hakan Calhanoglu’s deputy paid off. In addition to scoring a phenomenal goal, Sucic was impeccable in possession.
Nicolo Barella (5/10) – Taken off at halftime after a relatively low-key first half by his high standard, the diminutive midfielder had little impact on the game before being replaced by Davide Frattesi.
Andy Diouf (5/10) – The Frenchman struggled out wide in the first half, but a switch into central midfield midway through the second period helped salvage an otherwise underwhelming second Serie A start.
Marcus Thuram (7/10) – Gone quiet after setting up his captain for the opening goal before forcing a last-ditch defending from a Lazio player to deny him a goal of his own.
Lautaro Martinez (9/10) – El Toro once again proved why many consider him the beating heart of this Inter team. Got the match off to a dream start for the Nerazzurri before collecting his sixth league assist of the season.
Substitutions
Ange-Yoan Bonny – 6/10
Davide Frattesi – 5/10
Luis Henrique – 5/10
Denzel Dumfries – 6/10
