Inter suffers but extends, Genoa never gives up: an intense and always in the balance match at San Siro.
In a once again packed Meazza in every order of place a tense, exciting match takes place and remains in discussion until the end. The challenge that closes the 27th matchday of Serie A sees two of the best organized and best placed teams in the championship compete, who certainly did not disappoint intensity and competitive spirit. Inter does not stop and flies to +15 on their pursuers but a never-subdued Genoa suffers a lot and risks bringing home a draw until the end, chasing for the entire first half. The griffin is confirmed tough and difficult opponent also for the steamroller Inter of the last few months while the Nerazzurri, if overall they absolutely deserve the victory, will have to draw from the match an important lesson.
The one-two midway through the first half seemed enough for Inzaghi’s team to easily close yet another practice on the way to their goal. In some ways the first half of this evening’s match takes place along the lines of the one seen just five days ago against Atalanta: after half an hour of study, Inter decides to accelerate and verticalize taking advantage of the midfielders’ insertions and thus finding Asllani’s goal and the penalty converted by Sanchez. Even without an equally dominant performance from the individuals, Inter manages to fully convince per 45′.
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Genoa’s merit, however, is that of stay in the game even after what could have been a knockout blow for many other teams. Gilardino is very good at reading the game and inserting it Strootman at the beginning of the second half, to give moral vigor and geometry to a team that wants to believe in it. Despite finding the 1-2 goal thanks to Vasquez’s individual preciousness, Genoa’s desire to grab the equalizer lies entirely in the enthusiasm with which the second balls are attacked and the intensity with which it is managed the first pressing line. Thus Genoa manages to build and bring many men into the area, without however ever reaching the point of worrying Sommer’s gloves, thanks also to the good guarding of the Nerazzurri defensive trio, today an example of great concentration. Despite suffering and conceding for a good half hour, Inter took home the result but for the first time, after almost two months, it seemed losing control of a game that seemed already resolved against an intense and compact team. A starting point to work on also in view of the European commitment and the intensity typical of Champions League nights.
Asllani’s match is at the same time a manifesto of the enormous progress recorded by the Albanian international during his Nerazzurri apprenticeship and a test that highlights the areas in which he still needs to improve. The quality of the phrasing, both short and long, is impressive (100% passing accuracy), the setting and management skills are now quite evident, we have plenty of personalities while this evening he manages to showcase a new specialty of the house, namely the timing of insertions. The former Empoli player still lacks that quid of clarity and experience in managing possession in front of the defense, given that on more than one occasion (as in the action that leads to Vasquez’s goal) he loses bloody balls in his midfield. In general, however, the training as a starter is about to end with Calhanoglu’s return confirms the potential and the already very high level of a present and future resource of Inzaghi’s team.
Genoa he emerges with his head more than held high from a prohibitive commitment but which the Ligurians still risked scoring with at least one point. If Gudmundsson and Retegui were well limited by the Inter defense, the best on the pitch were certainly, for the Genoans, Strootman e Badelj. Croatian, in particular, is fundamental in the interdiction phase as well as in the finishing phase light, illuminating touches and great timing. More generally, it is the good team performance displayed at Inter that deserves the praise that Genoa will surely receive: Gilardino is once again only close to confirming himself as the big killer of this season, but despite everything that is building underneath at Lanterna And something special.