MILAN (ITALPRESS) – A narrow victory for Inter who needed only a goal from Lautaro Martinez to beat Venezia 1-0 at San Siro. Shivers in the final for the Nerazzurri, saved by the Var that cancelled out Sverko’s last minute equalizer, spoiled by a touch with his arm, at the end of the recovery. The Italian champions thus take advantage of Napoli’s home loss to Atalanta and move to within -1 of the leaders seven days before next Sunday’s direct clash in Milan.Inzaghi changes three men compared to Empoli, has no thought of Arsenal and sends out the eleven that had played the Italian derby with Juventus last Sunday. He does not rest Lautaro Martinez, who is deployed in tandem with Thuram, returns from injury but sits Calhanoglu on the bench. Di Francesco mirrors and in his 3-5-2, up front with Pohjanpalo, there is room for Oristanio. On a Dumfries tower, he controls with his chest and volleyed Lautaro’s shot sending it just a whisker wide: just the first of many chances created by Inter, which goes close to scoring several times. A Bastoni left-footer ends high while Thuram wastes a restart propitiated by a Dimarco ball recovery. Again the Frenchman got in touch with Stankovic but shot on the outside of the net. Two minutes later the Venezia goalkeeper is practically hit by Mkhitaryan, who misses a moving penalty at the conclusion of a nice sprinting action on the Lautaro-Dumfries axis.Before halftime great chance also for the Lagunari: Idzes breaks through on the left and puts in the center, Pohjanpalo hits it wrong but in fact serves an assist to Oristanio who from two steps hits Sommer in the middle. The intensity increases further and chances flourish in the start of the second half. Inter even took the lead with a winning insertion by Mkhitaryan but the Var intervened to signal an offside position for Dimarco, the author of the assist, and cancelled out the Nerazzurri goal. At the other end Haps finds Pohjanpalo in the box who from an excellent position fails to angle his shot and Sommer pushes it away. Then again the hosts with a missed tap in by Mkhitaryan and a header by Dumfries, stretched by Stankovic over the crossbar. Prolonged pressure put the guests on the ropes, the goal was in the air and came in minute 65: Dimarco lifted his header from the left and drew a pinpoint cross that met at the second post with Lautaro Martinez’s close, winning header, nothing for the goalkeeper to do. After the 1-0 lead, Inter does not stop and pushes on to close the file. Stankovic twice won the duel with Thuram and then also saved on the shot from outside the newly entered Calhanoglu.Inzaghi’s team also claimed a penalty for a hand in the box by Sverko, but before the irregularity, which was evident, there was an offside by Thuram signaled again by the Var. The many wasted chances could cost the Nerazzurri dearly as they suffered in the final assault of Di Francesco’s eleven. At the last action, on Haps’ cross, Sverko makes it 1-1: the Var, however, also sees this arm touch and after a few seconds of waiting comes the signal that cancels the goal, followed by the triple whistle and the joy of San Siro.- photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
