Inter win 2 - 1 in Brescia as goals from Lautaro and Lukaku decide it

BRESCIA - An absolutely vital victory for the Nerazzurri won through huge desire as Inter’s players overcame any difficulty, strife and fatigue that came their way tonight. Inter beat Brescia 2-1 at the Rigamonti, climbing to top spot in the table on 25 points. These were three points worth their weight in gold, earned through two shots from outside the box by the Nerazzurri centre forwards: first through Lautaro’s deflected strike, and then through Lukaku’s absolute missile. The game then came to a nervy end with Inter soaking up a lot of pressure in the final minutes, but the team held out well and they come home with all of the points from tonight’s game.

Conte made two changes to the side that started in the draw against Parma as De Vrij and Asamoah came into the starting line-up. Brescia meanwhile underwent a complete transformation, with Coach Corini abandoning his classic 4-3-1-2 for a more cautious 3-5-2 with a back line of five men when not in possession. This formation closed up much of the space in the hosts’ half of the pitch, which was where the majority of the first half took place as Inter dominated the game, relentlessly searching for gaps in the Brescia defence. The Nerazzurri threatened down the flanks, Candreva a constant threat going forward. The first chance came in the 4th minute as Lukaku’s free header flew just wide of the target. There was no shortage of chances, but Inter just needed to stay patient and wait for their moment. Another came in the 13th minute: Gagliardini flicked on the corner but Lautaro couldn’t get the vital touch at the back post. Dead-ball situations looked promising for the visitors, but instead it was from a longshot that the opener came in the 23rd minute. Lautaro picked up the ball in Brescia’s half and drove forwards, striking the ball cleanly from 30 yards out. The shot deflected off Cistana and the ball looped up into the air and into the back of the net, leaving Alfonso with no chance and giving Inter the lead. This was Lautaro Martinez’s seventh goal of the season, his sixth in the league. The goal shocked Brescia for a while, but they were soon back to their lively ways, especially through the promising talent Tonali in midfield. But the next chance fell to Inter yet again as De Vrij came close with a header. The remainder of the first half saw the game spark into life with three bookings in the space of minutes, but the teams went in at the break with Inter in front and in control of the game.

It was anything but the same story after the restart: Brescia no longer sat back and were more aggressive, looking to attack. Their approach surprised Inter at the start of the second period, with Conte’s men forced to withstand the hosts’ pressure. Two minutes in, Handanovic did exceptionally well to deny former Nerazzurri player Balotelli before the Inter skipper came up trumps again to keep out Donnarumma’s effort after a scramble in the Inter box.

It seemed like the Nerazzurri were on the ropes, but like an experienced boxer they were waiting for the right moment to strike a possible knockout blow. And that moment came as Romelu Lukaku scored an absolute peach: the Belgian striker received the ball, cut in from the right and arrowed a superb shot into the corner of the net for his seventh Serie A goal. This was absolutely vital. Afterwards, Lautaro came close to sealing it before Brescia reawakened. In the 73rd minute, Balotelli will feel he should have scored: first his header was expertly saved by Handanovic before he then fired the rebound over the bar from close range. However, the home side did pull one back three minutes later as the ball ricocheted off Skriniar and ended in the net after Handanovic had said no to Bisoli.

It was a goal that very much lifted Brescia, who perhaps were slightly less composed at this point compared to the start of the second period but who remained aggressive in their play. A tired Inter side had to dig in to bring home the three points despite there being very few scares in the 18 minutes between Brescia’s goal and the final whistle. The Nerazzurri’s eighth victory in ten games eventually arrived following two goals from their centre-forwards and the blood, sweat and tears of the whole team. And now on to the next one: at 18:00 CET on Saturday, it’ll be time to face Bologna away from home. Let’s keep it up, #ForzaInter!

BRESCIA 1-2 INTER

BRESCIA (3-5-2): 22 Alfonso; 15 Cistana, 5 Gastaldello (26 Martella 68'), 19 Mangraviti (6 Ndoj 75'); 2 Sabelli, 25 Bisoli, 4 Tonali, 28 Romulo (21 Matri 86'), 3 Mateju; 9 Donnarumma, 45 Balotelli. Substitutes: 12 Andrenacci, 7 Spalek, 8 Zmrhal, 18 Ayé, 29 Semprini. Coach: Corini.

INTER (3-5-2): 1 Handanovic; 2 Godin, 6 De Vrij, 37 Skriniar; 87 Candreva, 5 Gagliardini, 77 Brozovic, 23 Barella, 18 Asamoah (34 Biraghi 81'); 9 Lukaku (30 Esposito 86'), 10 Lautaro Martinez. Substitutes: 27 Padelli, 46 Berni, 13 Ranocchia, 16 Politano, 19 Lazaro, 20 Borja Valero, 21 Dimarco, 95 Bastoni. Coach: Conte.

Goalscorers: 23' Lautaro (I), 63' Lukaku (I), 76' autogol Skriniar (I) Bookings: Candreva (I), Gagliardini (I), Cistana (B), Mateju (B), Skriniar (I), Ndoj (B), Balotelli (B) Note: Antonio Conte (I) booked Added time: 2' - 4'.

Referee: Fabbri. Assistants: Peretti, Di Vuolo. Fourth official: Pasqua. VAR and Assistant VAR: Aureliano, Schenone.