Darmian with another winner as Inter beat Verona 1 - 0

MILAN - There are films that don’t make much of an impact but, for one reason or another, they deserve a chance and you stick with it. Perhaps you wait for a crucial scene or unexpected hero to turn up. Inter vs. Hellas Verona seemed to be one of those films for much of the match and one that we’d all seen before. It was like Inter vs. Cagliari a few weeks ago. It was a tight match without too much goalmouth action against a side that wasn’t giving much up. The goal eventually came though on that occasion with Darmian finding the net in the 77th minute from a Hakimi assist. It was a scene that was repeated today, with the Italian finding the net from the Moroccan’s pass in the 77th minute to once again emerge the hero of the plot.

Was it unexpected? Up to a certain point, but Antonio Conte brought him on to make a difference against Cagliari and he stepped up once against to steal the limelight, turning what looked set to be a disappointing 0-0 into a wonderful and vital 1-0 win. The final scenes were the same, the squad and Coach all celebrating together with Darmian in the middle of it all. We held on to win 1-0, which takes us up to 79 points with five games to go.

Six defeats in the previous seven for Verona weren’t deceiving anyone, everyone knew they would be a tough opponent and nothing could be taken for granted. Conte kept the same starting XI that faced Spezia, while Juric opted for his classic 3-4-2-1 system, one which could be flexible according to the demands of different situations. Ceccherini was marking Lautaro and Magnani stuck on Lukaku. Dimarco often got high up the left flank, while Faraoni was in a deeper role on the right. Verona moved as a unit, both to press and regroup when tracking back. Handanovic was tasked with starting moves from the back, while Brozovic and Eriksen were looking to add a bit of creativity in midfield.

The first chance came two minutes in as Latuaro went through, but his attempt to chip Silvestri missed the target before he collided with the goalkeeper. It was a promising start for Inter with Hakimi charging up the right flank. While his pace didn’t quite lead to a goal, his efforts with both feet went close and Silvestri did brilliantly to keep out one of his low shots. Inter were unable to mount a siege on goal, however, and Verona were dangerous, especially through the mobile Lasagna. They created one great chance when Bessa was denied by the oncoming Handanovic, before Dimarco’s follow-up then went wide.

It was a scare for Inter, who, however, weren’t giving very much away at the back. On the other hand, the Nerazzurri’s attacking play was lacking in intensity. Lukaku was constantly surrounded and Lautaro was being marshalled well by the Verona defence. As for Perisic, he wasn’t experiencing much joy against Faraoni, while Barella was displaying less precision than usual. The first half came to an end with Inter very much aware that a change of pace was needed.

However, it was Verona who looked more lively in the opening stages of the second half. The visitors were pushing high up the pitch and keeping possession. Deprived of the ball, Inter were struggling to put any dangerous moves together. The tension was clearly there, and Conte’s men were mostly relying on direct balls forward to the strikers and individual forays forward at this stage.

This is exactly what Lautaro produced in the 64th minute, when he charged forward and managed to reach the area. However, Silvestri was there to stop him from scoring. Five minutes later, the post saved the visitors following Hakimi’s excellent free kick from over 25 yards out. Promising signs, but Verona were refusing to give an inch and even came close to scoring through Barak.

The moment Inter had been waiting for came in the 76th minute. The Nerazzurri finally found space to play in, Hakimi burst forward and picked out Darmian, and the Italian stroked the ball into the net. Pandemonium. It wasn’t the end, however. Indeed, it was a long final 20 minutes, with Inter throwing bodies on the line and showing tremendous heart to see the game out.

A 93-minute film that turned out to be a thriller. Three points for the Nerazzurri.

MATCH SUMMARY

INTER (3-5-2): 1 Handanovic; 37 Skriniar, 6 de Vrij, 95 Bastoni; 2 Hakimi (33 D'Ambrosio 79'), 23 Barella, 77 Brozovic (5 Gagliardini 79'), 24 Eriksen (12 Sensi 65'), 14 Perisic (36 Darmian 65'); 9 Lukaku, 10 Lautaro (7 Sanchez 71').Substitutes: 27 Padelli, 97 Radu, 8 Vecino, 13 Ranocchia, 15 Young, 99 Pinamonti.Coach: Antonio Conte.

HELLAS VERONA (3-4-2-1): 1 Silvestri; 17 Ceccherini (27 Dawidowicz 46'), 23 Magnani (21 Gunter 46'), 3 Dimarco (13 Udogie 72'); 5 Faraoni, 61 Tameze (9 Salcedo 65'), 14 Ilic, 8 Lazovic; 7 Barak, 40 Bessa (90 Colley 77'); 92 Lasagna.Substitutes: 22 Berardi, 25 Pandur, 11 Favilli, 15 Çetin, 19 Rüegg, 20 Zaccagni, 29 Kalinić.Coach: Ivan Juric.

Goalscorers: 76' Darmian (I)Bookings: Ceccherini (V), Magnani (V), Barak (V)Added time: - , 3'.

Referee: Abisso.Assistants: Galetto, Rossi.Fourth Official: Prontera.VAR: Nasca.VAR Assistant: Valeriani.