Udinese hold Inter to goalless draw

UDINE - For the first time since 20 July, Inter drew a blank in Serie A. Coming up against a resilient Udinese side, the Nerazzurri was unable to break down the opposition on Saturday, while remaining comfortable in defence throughout. It ended 0-0 in the rain at the Dacia Arena during what was a difficult encounter. Chances were few and far between, while Musso also put in a decisive display for the hosts. This draw sees Inter second at the half-way point of the season, with 41 points on the board. This leaves them two adrift of Milan who lost 3-0 at San Siro to Atalanta. 

Despite the rain that has plagued Udine, the pitch remained in good condition for the league fixture, a credit to the carpet-like grass. However, while the pitch remained intact, the weather did dampen the Nerazzurri’s play against Udinese as they were unable to reproduce the explosiveness shown against Juventus. Conte opted for the same XI that triumphed against the Bianconeri, while Saturday’s opponents set up in a narrow and solid 3-5-2. Gotti’s side closed down space well during the opening 10 minutes, and maintained pressure on the Nerazzurri midfield. However, this defensive focus did not spawn a whole host of chances for Udinese, with their first foray into the Nerazzurri box leading to a headed opportunity for Larsen in the 22nd minute. Meanwhile, Inter also lacked fizz and finished the first half with their fewest chances (six) since Verona vs. Inter. Yet it wasn’t completely lacking up front and Lautaro did find the back of the net in the eighth minute, only to be ruled out for offside. 

In the 23rd minute, however, he was very much onside. After Udinese had given the ball away at the back, El Toro was denied by a fantastic Musso stop. Slowly but surely, Inter were edging further up the field. Udinese, meanwhile, took off Arslan just after the half-hour mark, with the midfielder treading a fine line having already been booked. Prior to this, Barella had come close to scoring a goal of the season contender, volleying inches off target with his right foot following a Nerazzurri corner. Inter were lacking a bit of spark and struggling to find space against a tough and compact Udinese side. Samir’s booking led to the home team dropping even deeper as Lukaku continued to put himself about, look for gaps to play in and lay the ball off to his teammates. When the referee blew the half-time whistle, the game was goalless, but there were some promising signs.

Not scoring in the first half has become a familiar theme for Inter this season, with the Nerazzurri used to going on the attack after the restart and having very little problem doing so. However, the Friulani continued to stand firm in the face of Nerazzurri pressure. And the hosts could have even taken the lead on the 67-minute mark as De Paul fired narrowly wide with a right-footed effort. A triple change from Conte followed but didn’t have the desired effect, failing to add an injection of pace to Inter’s play.

Despite Hakimi being a constant outlet for the Nerazzurri, there was just no way through. The game remained scrappy right until the very end, with Conte’s men lacking the creative ideas to break the deadlock. Despite a frustrating 90 minutes, it’s a point that edges Inter closer to the top of the table. On Tuesday, a Derby showdown in the Coppa Italia awaits at San Siro.

MATCH SUMMARY

UDINESE (3-5-2): 1 Musso; 50 Becao, 14 Bonifazi (87 De Maio 62'), 3 Samir; 19 Larsen (17 Nuytinck  78'), 10 De Paul, 22 Arslan (11 Walace 33'), 37 Pereyra, 90 Zeegelaar (16 Molina 78'); 9 Deulofeu (38 Mandragora 62'), 15 Lasagna.Substitutes: 31 Gasparini, 96 Scuffet, 5 Ouwejan, 6 Makengo, 29 Micin, 30 Nestorovski.Coach: Luca Gotti.

INTER (3-5-2): 1 Handanovic; 37 Skriniar, 6 de Vrij, 95 Bastoni; 2 Hakimi, 23 Barella, 77 Brozovic, 22 Vidal (12 Sensi 70'), 15 Young (14 Perisic 70'); 9 Lukaku, 10 Lautaro (7 Sanchez 70').Substitutes: 27 Padelli, 97 Radu, 5 Gagliardini, 11 Kolarov, 13 Ranocchia, 24 Eriksen, 36 Darmian, 99 Pinamonti.Coach: Antonio Conte.

Bookings: Arslan (U), Samir (U), Bastoni (I), Zeegelaar (U), Sensi (I)Notes:  Antonio Conte (I) sent off for dissent.Added time: 1' - 4'.

Referee: Maresca.Assistants: Imperiale, Di Vuolo.Fourth official: Fourneau.VAR: Aureliano.VAR assistant: Mondin.