Inter stats | 37 shots and Lautaro breaks his own record

MILAN – Inter picked up three massive points against Empoli on Friday evening in terms of the league table, the ability never to give up, relentless desire and determination shown by the team.

Aurelio Andreazzoli’s side were hit for four as Inter staged yet another comeback. This time, it was triggered by a low Federico Dimarco cross that Simone Romagnoli turned into his own net before Lautaro Martinez bagged a brace and Alexis Sanchez got on the scoresheet in stoppage time. Inter were dominant throughout, as shown by registering 37 efforts on goal, while Empoli could only muster four. The corner count also showed a big difference, with 14 for the hosts and just two for the visitors.

LAUTARO’S RECORD Leadership and goals were on display for the Argentine, whose brace against Empoli took his recent tally up to 11 goals in as many games in all competitions for Inter. El Toro also beat his own personal record for goals scored in a single campaign for the Nerazzurri in all competitions (23), while he has now beaten his best return in Serie A with 19 goals to his name, while his previous record was 17 in 2020/21.

NERAZZURRI COMEBACKS Simone Inzaghi’s side had to show real character to bounce back from falling two goals behind within half an hour. It was the first time Inter conceded a goal in the first five minutes of a Serie A fixture since 26 September 2020 (Christian Kouame on 3 minutes for Fiorentina, but the team was able to react and turn the result around to clinch all three points. The Nerazzurri have now picked up 22 points from losing positions in Serie A this season, which is more than any other side in the big five European leagues, level with PSG and Hoffenheim.

CALHANOGLU THE ASSIST KING The team’s ability to recover from losing positions hinges on the likes of Hakan Calhanoglu, who bagged the assist for Lautaro’s powerful equaliser on the stroke of half time. The Turkish midfielder is one of three Inter players to have provided 11 assists in any of the last 15 Serie A campaigns, following in the footsteps of Maicon in 2009/10 and Romelu Lukaku in 2020/21. The playmaker sits in second place in the assist ranks.

HANDA’S MILESTONE Inter captain Samir Handanovic’s appearance against Empoli made him the second foreign player to reach 550 Serie A appearances in Italian top-flight history after Javier Zanetti (615).