Match Review, Inter 2 - 0 Borussia Dortmund

MILAN – Elegance and ferocity, youth and bravery, nerves of steel and determination. Inter demonstrated all of this in their 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund at San Siro – and more. A Champions League win achieved as a result of a great team performance, of first-rate work, of mechanisms that are starting to bear fruit on a consistent basis. And then there were individual performances, performances that need to be noted despite the great collective display. There were top moments from Lautaro Martinez, Esposito displayed his youthful exuberance, Antonio Candreva never stopped running, Stefan De Vrij was masterful.

And it’s with the Dutch defender that we begin. When thinking about De Vrij’s performance, it’s very hard not to go overboard with our language. Quite simply, he was unbeatable in the Nerazzurri backline: he made three challenges, five clearances and six interceptions, and he also regained possession on six occasions. He looked so calm out on the pitch throughout and used the ball particularly well. This is something we’ve seen before from the Dutchman. You only need to go back to Sassuolo vs. Inter on Sunday to find a similar situation to the one that led to Lautaro’s goal against Borussia Dortmund. With the ball at his feet in the opposition’s half of the pitch, De Vrij looked up and produced a perfectly weighted pass for his Nerazzurri teammate up front. The stats help to describe the Dutchman’s attitude as he masterfully moved the ball about. In total, he made 96 passes. Most notably, 22 of these came in Dortmund’s half. This is a particularly striking fact given that not even Brozovic made that many and the Croatian is often heavily involved in the Nerazzurri’s build-up play.

The attitude with which Favre’s Borussia took to the pitch resulted in a game where clear cut chances were few and far between: the Germans went with a 3-4-3 formation and congested the centre of the pitch with a compact style. They completed many passes (58% ball possession) but only managed to fire two shots on target (both of which were splendidly saved by Handanovic). It was within this tactical battle that Lautaro Martinez’s incredible attacking play emerged. He scored, used the ball incredibly well (one of many occasions when he did this) to launch the Inter counter that led to the second goal (and by the way, what a fantastic assist from Brozovic!), took four shots and was involved in ten duels. The complete performance, irrespective of his penalty miss.

Antonio Candreva put the game to bed with his second goal of the season. It came about after an incredible run over 80 metres, half of which was without the ball. A real sprint that finished with him beautifully placing the ball between the goalkeeper and post. Candreva’s match consisted of this goal and much more: he produced four crosses and regained the ball seven times as he showed total commitment to the cause. This spirit was also displayed by Sebastiano Esposito, who came on to make his debut in the Champions League at the age of 17 years and 113 days (the second youngest Inter player to feature in Europe’s top competition, behind only Bergomi). The youngster threw himself into battle all over the pitch and won a penalty against a world champion in Mats Hummels. With a 14-year age gap, it was a case of different generations coming face to face. Esposito’s performance was excellent, as was that of Barella, who didn’t pull out of any tackles. Brozovic was fantastic too: he recovered the ball eight times, made three key passes and was the provider for Candreva’s goal to make it 2-0.

A tough and tactical match: Inter won thanks to being well-prepared, showing great sacrifice and reading the situations during the match excellently. However, Conte’s men can’t spend too long revelling in this 2-0 victory. Because at 18:00 CEST on Saturday, it’ll be time to face Parma. Full focus is required!