Darmian's goal is enough for victory over Venezia!

Fight and play! That’s what Helenio Herrera, who lies in rest at the San Michele Cemetery in Venice, would no doubt have said in the lead-up to this match. Fight and play to bounce back, to move on, to keep pushing forward. Because Inter don’t rest, and football always offers new paths.

The breathtaking beauty of Venice on a cold Sunday in January. The city woke up to a deep blue sky and crisp air ahead of the 15:00 CET kick-off, Inter’s first match at this time since 2021 (the last game of the 2020/21 season and the day the Club’s 19th Scudetto title was celebrated). From Milano to Venice, the Nerazzurri took to the pitch waterside at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, where Nerazzurri flags waved from start to finish.

The match kicked off and, with 16 minutes on the clock, Matteo Darmian found himself in the right place at the right time. We’ve seen it before, starting from the season where we won Serie A for the 19th time, and he did it again today, a day where he lined up as part of the back three and not out wide. Bit that’s the beauty of this team: its fluidity, complete dedication, and tireless contributions in every area of the pitch. Various players were involved in the winning goal: De Vrij stopped an attack, Barella made himself available for the ball, Dumfries stayed back to cover in defence, and Asllani played a fine pass over the top. This was followed by a Lautaro shot that was saved by Stankovic, who, however could do nothing about Darmian following up as if he were a striker. What turned out to be the winning goal arrived when a bit of sun was still hitting the Penzo. Then, with darkness having set in and the moon peeking above the stands, the home side threw all that they could at Inzaghi’s men. Sommer made saves, De Vrij intervened, Busio hit the post. Plenty of scares for Inter, who also had opportunities to double their advantage.

In the end, a second wasn’t needed. Three points, and the statistics don’t make for bad reading either. Inter have now won six away matches in a row in Serie A and done so without conceding (for the first time in history). In their last 13 league fixtures, Inter have won eleven and drawn two. Furthermore, the team have emerged victorious from their last six fixtures, scoring 20 and conceding once. With Sommer and the post having denied Venezia, the Nerazzurri have now kept four clean sheets in a row. And in the table, Inter have 43 points to their name.

VENEZIA 0-1 INTER

Goalscorer: 16' Darmian (I)

VENEZIA (3-5-2): 35 Stankovic; , 21 Sagrado (5 Haps 26'), 4 Idzes, 33 Sverko; 7 Zampano (9 Gytkjaer 88'), 97 Doumbia (19 Bjarkason 70'), 14 Nicolussi Caviglia (17 Condé 88'), 6 Busio, 77 Ellertsson; 11 Oristanio (10 Yeboah 70'), 20 Pohjanpalo. Substitutes: 1 Joronen, 23 Grandi, 31 Chiesurin, 79 Carboni, 80 El Haddad. Head Coach: Eusebio Di Francesco.

INTER (3-5-2): 1 Sommer; 36 Darmian, 6 de Vrij, 95 Bastoni; 2 Dumfries (28 Pavard 76'), 23 Barella (32 Dimarco 83'), 21 Asllani (16 Frattesi 62'), 7 Zielinski, 30 Carlos Augusto; 99 Taremi (9 Thuram 62'), 10 Lautaro (8 Arnautovic 76'). Substitutes: 13 J. Martinez, 40 Calligaris, 17 Buchanan, 42 Palacios, 51 Alexiou, 52 Berenbruch, 53 Topalovic. Head Coach: Simone Inzaghi.

Booked: Oristanio (V), Asllani (I), Zampano (V), Nicolussi Caviglia (V) Stoppage time: 1' - 4'

Referee: Piccinini. Assistants: Berti, Vecchi. Fourth official: Feliciani. VAR: Paterna. VAR assistant: Guida.

One booking away from suspension: Dumfries (I), Zampano (V). Suspended: -