Ten - man Inter defeated in Naples

Inter showed tremendous heart, doing all that they could do get something out of the game. It wasn’t quite enough today as Inzaghi’s men fell to a 3-1 defeat in Naples, putting an end to their five-game winning run in Serie A. With Gagliardini having been sent off in the 41st minute, Anguissa opened the scoring for Napoli in the 67th minute. Inter refused to lie down and found the strength to equalise through Lukaku on the 82-minute mark, only for Di Lorenzo to restore the hosts’ advantage with a curling effort into the top corner shortly afterwards. It was a fantastic goal from the Napoli captain and a tough one to take for Inter, who then conceded a third on the counter in stoppage time. The sending-off undoubtedly played a big part in today’s match, and the Nerazzurri can’t afford to dwell on this loss ahead of the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday and the final two fixtures of the 2022/23 Serie A campaign.

Victory in the Champions League derby showdown, the Coppa Italia final around the corner and a league match sandwiched in between. Inter headed to Naples on the hunt for three important points in the race for the top four and to build on their fantastic form. However, with such an action-packed schedule, energy levels needed to be managed appropriately. With this in mind, Simone Inzaghi rang the changes, while Napoli, riding high from their Scudetto triumph, took to the pitch with a typically strong side.

The match started off as expected: the hosts controlled possession and put pressure on their opponents. Inter, however, were focused and closed the spaces, always looking for gaps to exploit on the counter. Napoli were lively and also posed a threat from dead ball situations, with Anguissa heavily involved early on.

Given they didn’t have control of the ball, Inter weren’t able to dictate the pace of the match. Lukaku and Correa did their best to get the Nerazzurri up the pitch, but the home side remained on the front foot, sending plenty of men forward. Osimhen was closely monitored by De Vrij, who didn’t give the Napoli striker an inch. With the hosts continuing to put threatening moves together, things only got harder in the 41st minute as Gagliardini was sent off for a second bookable offence. Nevertheless, Inter had the final opportunity of the opening period through Lukaku, who hit the side netting from a tight angle.

Napoli started to lay siege in the second half, and Inter were grateful to Onana for some fantastic saves. Bellanova was trying to make a nuisance of himself down the right flank, but, in general, Inter were happy to sit back. However, a goal was coming: after a brilliant Onana stop to deny Kvaratskhelia, the Nerazzurri goalkeeper was unable to keep out a powerful right-footed effort from Anguissa, who gave Spalletti’s side the lead.

Raspadori, on as a substitute, tried to kill the match off, but the Partenopei were up against a really good Inter side. Inzaghi sent on Brozovic and Acerbi, followed by Dimarco and Dumfries and, finally, Lautaro. When they managed to make inroads up the pitch, Inter exposed a bit of fragility in the Napoli defence. And, in the 82nd minute, Lukaku got on the end of Dimarco’s cross to make it 1-1. Inter had hung in there and now had something to hold on to.

However, Napoli were able to respond almost immediately. Di Lorenzo took centre stage, letting fly with a brilliant left-footed strike that sailed into the top corner. Inter tried to rescue a late point, with Dumfries charging down the right wing and plenty of men making their way forward to attack. Then, a 2v1 situation arose on the counter, and Gaetano was able to put the game to bed.

NAPOLI 3-1 INTER

Goalscorer: 67' Anguissa (N), 82' Lukaku (I), 85' Di Lorenzo (N), 94' Gaetano (N)

NAPOLI (4-3-3): 1 Meret; 22 Di Lorenzo, 13 Rrahmani, 3 Kim (5 Jesus 74'), 17 Olivera; 99 Anguissa, 68 Lobotka, 20 Zielinski (70 Gaetano 83'); 7 Elmas (81 Raspadori 69'), 9 Osimhen (18 Simeone 69'), 77 Kvaratskhelia (21 Politano 83'). Substitutes: 12 Marfella, 95 Gollini, 6 Mario Rui, 19 Bereszynski, 23 Zerbin, 31 Zedadka, 55 Ostigard, 91 Ndombele. Coach: Luciano Spalletti.

INTER (3-5-2): 24 Onana; 33 D'Ambrosio, 6 De Vrij, 95 Bastoni (15 Acerbi 58'); 12 Bellanova (2 Dumfries 74'), 23 Barella (77 Brozovic 58'), 14 Asllani, 5 Gagliardini, 8 Gosens (10 Lautaro 80'); 90 Lukaku, 11 Correa (32 Dimarco 74'). Substitutes: 1 Handanovic, 21 Cordaz, 9 Dzeko, 20 Calhanoglu, 36 Darmian, 43 Akinsanmiro, 50 Stankovic. Coach: Simone Inzaghi.

Booked: Elmas (N) Sent off: 42' Gagliardini (I) for a second bookable offence. Added time: 1' - 6'. Referee: Marinelli. Assistants: Bindoni, Colarossi. Fourth official: Marcenaro. VAR: Nasca. VAR assistant: Chiffi.

One booking away from suspension: Acerbi, Brozovic, De Vrij, Dumfries, Lautaro Martinez, Mkhitaryan (I); Elmas, Kim, Osimhen (N). Suspended: -

MATCHDAY 36

Sassuolo 1-2 Monza Cremonese 1-5 Bologna Atalanta 3-1 Hellas Verona AC Milan 5-1 Sampdoria Lecce 0-0 Spezia Torino 1-1 Fiorentina Napoli 3-1 Inter Udinese vs. Lazio Roma vs. Salernitana Empoli vs. Juventus

TABLE

Napoli 86* Juventus 69 Inter 66* Lazio 65 AC Milan 64* Atalanta 61* Roma 59 Monza 52* Bologna 50* Fiorentina 50* Torino 50* Udinese 46 Sassuolo 44* Empoli 39 Salernitana 38 Lecce 33* Spezia 31* Hellas Verona 30* Cremonese 24* Sampdoria 18* *one more match played