Lazio 0-3 Inter Milan
Inter Milan are serious about challenging for the Serie A title this 2018-19 campaign, and they showed that at Stadio Olimpico as they thrashed powerhouse Lazio with three goals to nothing.
Amid the strong winds and rain in Rome—which had made the postponement of the game a possibility—Luciano Spalletti’s men stormed to a brilliant first half and never looked back as they left the hosts frustrated and wondering what they did wrong.
The ever-impressive Mauro Icardi paced the team to victory with a goal on both ends of the interval, helping the Nerazzurri leapfrog Napoli and claim second as they tighten the battle against league-leaders Juventus at the top of the table.
Highlights of the game
Playing at home should have given Lazio the advantage, with the Serie A 2018 odds at SBOBET even putting them as slight favourites. But boy oh boy, the numbers and the expectations couldn’t be more wrong!
Inter controlled proceedings right from the off, and while one could say that Lazio struggled with the sudden bursts of torrential rain, there was never a doubt that Inter had the upper hand throughout.
Of course, Simone Inzaghi’s side would rue the fact that they had plenty of missed chances in the game. However, they have no one to blame but themselves for their lack of clinical finishing.
Inter dominated possession in the opening stages, though opportunities were hard to come by. Matias Vecino, who played hero and scored the winner in their crucial match-up last season, had a good chance early on but sent a Sime Vrsaljko through ball high and wide.
Ivan Perisic and Icardi both had solid shots as well, while Ciro Immobile came close to scoring for Lazio, though all the early efforts went in vain.
It didn’t last long for Inter to find the back of the net, though. As they continued to control the ball, they gradually opened up the Lazio defence and finally found the break they were waiting for.
On 28 minutes, Perisic received a lobbed ball near the top of the box and crossed it to Vecino. The 27-year-old Uruguayan then flicked it to Icardi along the six-yard box and the Argentine superstar made no mistake with an easy tap-in.
Amid the heavy downpour, Inter could have doubled their lead seven minutes after their opener. Vecino headed off a free-kick, but Lazio shot-stopper Thomas Strakosha parried the ball away.
Lazio wouldn’t be denied of their second, though. An ugly Lazio clearance off an Inter corner saw the ball go just 20 yards out and fall to Marcelo Brozovic, who took the opportunity to fire home to the bottom left corner.
Inzaghi’s charges came out with more fire after the break in hopes of turning the tables around. In fact, Lazio threatened to score as early as 47 minutes when Danilo Cataldi saw his free-kick palmed away by Samir Handanovic.
Felipe Caicedo, meanwhile, sent a close-range header wide off the back post, while Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s volleyed effort just missed the target.
Inter had a good run on the offensive end later on, and though they were pretty wasteful as well, they made sure there’s no coming back for Lazio with a third on 70 minutes. Icardi was on target again for the visitors, showing a great first touch to send his defender the wrong way and convert easily.
Key statistics
Inter were simply the better team, and the post-match statistics show that. The visitors had the lion’s share of possession with 58 percent and completed more passes, 545 to Lazio’s 311.
While there isn’t much separation between their shot attempts—with Lazio having 11 shots (four on target) and Inter collecting 13 shots (seven on target)—goalkeeping made a huge difference. Both teams had four saves each, but Inter pulled off two crucial denials.
On the other hand, with his brace, Icardi now has six league goals in just four appearances for the club this campaign. He is only one behind Cristiano Ronaldo and three behind current Serie A top-scorer Krzysztof Piatek of Genoa.
The victory extended Inter’s winning streak in the Italian top flight to six.
Moreover, the latest Serie A 2018 results propelled Inter into second. Napoli played out a 1-1 draw against Roma, allowing the Milan side to go ahead of them on goal difference.
What’s next?
Inter have their eyes set on Genoa this weekend before hosting Barcelona in the Champions League return fixture. They recently lost to the Lionel Messi-less Catalans at Camp Nou by a 2-0 scoreline.
Meanwhile, Lazio face 15th-placed SPAL next. They will then take on Olympique Marseille in the Europa League.
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