Inter 3 - 0 Sampdoria, three fantastic finishes and three points

INTER 3-0 SAMPDORIA

Goalscorers: 21' De Vrij (I), 44' Barella (I), 73' Correa (I)

INTER (3-5-2): 24 Onana; 37 Skriniar, 6 De Vrij, 95 Bastoni (15 Acerbi 68'); 2 Dumfries (12 Bellanova 79'), 23 Barella, 20 Calhanoglu (14 Asllani 83'), 22 Mkhitaryan, 32 Dimarco; 9 Dzeko (11 Correa 68'), 10 Lautaro (90 Lukaku 68'). Substitutes: 1 Handanovic, 21 Cordaz, 5 Gagliardini, 8 Gosens, 33 D'Ambrosio, 36 Darmian. Coach: Simone Inzaghi.

SAMPDORIA (4-4-1-1): 1 Audero; 24 Bereszynski, 25 Ferrari, 15 Colley, 2 Amione; 23 Gabbiadini (34 Montevago 78'), 4 Villar (5 Verre 53'), 28 Yepes (14 Vieira 46'), 37 Leris; 7 Djuricic (8 Rincon 78'); 10 Caputo (18 Pussetto 66'). Substitutes: 22 Contini, 3 Augello, 11 Sabiri, 13 Conti, 21 Murillo, 29 Murru, 70 Trimboli. Coach: Dejan Stankovic.

Booked: Yepes (S), Colley (S), Djuricic (S), Verre (S), Gabbiadini (S), Bastoni (I), Vieira (S)

Added time: 0' - 5'.

Referee: Massimi. Assistants: Galetto, Massara. Fourth official: Cosso. VAR: Nasca. VAR assistant: Paganessi.

Three goals, three points and plenty to applaud. Inter beat Sampdoria 3-0 this evening to record their fourth consecutive league win, much to the delight of the more than 73,000 fans inside San Siro. De Vrij, Barella and Correa were the players to get on the scoresheet, and they were all fine finishes, too. It was a fantastic team performance against a Samp side that was never in the game. Today's victory means that Inter now sit on 24 points after twelve matchdays ahead of next week's game away to Juventus, before which a trip to Munich is coming up.

The return of Dejan Stankovic brought a bit of nostalgia to San Siro, with the Blucerchiati coach greeting a crowd that had seen him fight and win so many times in Nerazzurri colours. But when the game kicked off, it was all about Inter vs. Sampdoria and picking up three vital points. The Nerazzurri knew that they'd have to be patient against a compact team that didn't want to afford any space. Inzaghi's men were aiming to work the flanks and put together the right moves that would disrupt the balance of the away side, who were content to sit back and defend.

The early stages weren't very spectacular as Inter looked to find a way to break through, and then they managed to do so on the 22-minute mark. Calhanoglu played in a corner for de Vrij, who rose imperiously and sent a bullet header past Audero. The Dutchman had last scored a Serie A goal in 661 days ago, and that also came against Sampdoria, whose game plan this evening didn't change even after conceding. With some pressure off their shoulders, Inter continued to control possession at San Siro.

Inzaghi's men were playing well and with plenty of belief. Mkhitaryan, Dimarco and Bastoni all threatened Audero's goal, while Dzeko was knitting together play with some excellent touches. The second goal then arrived through a tried and tested combination, that of Bastoni and Barella. In a remake of that stunning goal in January 2021 against Juventus, the two Italians produced a work of art. Indeed, Bastoni sent a wonderful ball over the top and Barella latched onto it, brilliantly controlling it in full flight and unleashing a spectacular strike that flew into the net. It was Nicolò's third goal in consecutive Serie A games and his fourth in five matches in all competitions. Magnificent.

In the second half, Inter had the luxury of being able to manage the match with a great sense of calm. The team continued to display excellent character and technical quality, coming close to a third on several occasions. Lautaro had two attempts, but Audero got in his way. There were also opportunities for Dzeko and Skriniar, but it remained 2-0. That was until Correa came on and, like he did last season, put the final nail in the coffin of the Sampdoria's hopes of getting back into it.

The Argentine, who had entered the fray four minutes prior, burst forward from midfield, ran at the Blucerchiati's defence and then let fly with a stunning hit that ended in the top corner. With the match over as a contest, Samp did their best to score a consolation in the closing stages, but a solid Inter backline and an excellent Onana save prevented them from doing so. A clean sheet and three important points!

LIVE UPDATES

FULL-TIME: INTER 3-0 SAMPDORIA

FIVE MINUTES ADDED ON

87' Pussetto has a go, Onana sticks out a foot to keep it out!

80' The ball ricochets in the area and eventually falls to Correa, whose effort is too close to the goalkeeper.

73' GOOOAAAALLLLLLL! Correa runs at the Sampdoria defence from the middle of the park and fires a wonderful shot into the net!

70' Djuricic's shot is easily saved by Onana.

60' A wonderful ball in from Dimarco but Skriniar can only nod wide.

51' Lautaro can't quite direct Dimarco's low cross on target. Audero then makes a stunning stop to deny Dzeko!

46' The second half begins

LIVE UPDATES

HALF-TIME: INTER 2-0 SAMPDORIA

44' GOOOAAAALLLLLLLL! A wonderful ball over the top from Bastoni and Barella produces an emphatic finish!

31' Mkhitaryan rolls it across for Dimarco, who hits the side-netting!

26' Mkhitaryan finds himself in behind and aims for the far post, but his right-footed effort flies wide!

21' GOOOAAAAALLLLLLL! De Vrij heads home Calhanoglu's corner!

8' Dzeko has Inter's first shot of the game following good work from Lautaro. Audero makes the save.

1' Inter vs. Sampdoria kicks off!

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 12

Saturday 29 October Napoli 4-0 Sassuolo Lecce 0-1 Juventus Inter 3-0 Sampdoria

Sunday 30 October Empoli vs. Atalanta 12:30 Cremonese vs. Udinese 15:00 Spezia vs. Fiorentina 15:00 Lazio vs. Salernitana 18:00 Torino vs. Milan 20:45

Monday 31 October Verona vs. Roma 18:30 Monza vs. Bologna 20:45