Lecce 1-2 Inter: goals from Lukaku and Dumfries, the match

From our correspondent Vincenzo D’Angelo

August 13
– Lecce

He had such a great desire to cut with the past and recover Inter, that it took him 82 seconds to find the first goal of his new Inter adventure. But without Dumfries’ flick in the fray at the last second, it would have been a bitter return for Romelu Lukaku to Italy. Because after the opening goal, the Belgian saw too little and on two occasions he also missed the chance to avoid the Nerazzurri people a heart-pounding match already on the first day. But Inter is like that, crazy for DNA. And victories like these, against an extraordinarily combative and willing Lecce, can be worth so much at the end of the season. The 2-1 of the Via del Mare gives a mid-August with a smile, but for Inzaghi there is still a lot of work to do to find his dominant Inter.

DIMARCO DA CAN OPENER

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As already announced on the eve of the match, Inzaghi finds Brozovic and launches Gosens to the first as a starter in the Nerazzurri, but surprisingly he prefers Dimarco to Bastoni in the defensive trident and Darmian to Dumfries in the right wing. And the presence of Dimarco is immediately decisive: at the first lunge, a cross at the far post for Darmian, who prefers the assist to the conclusion. And Lukaku only has to push the Nerazzurri advantage into an empty net. The vehement start seems to be the prelude to a target practice, but in reality – while dominating and controlling possession at will – Inter are struggling to break through in the last twenty meters (at the interval just two shots on goal), despite the Lecce struggles to resist. After half an hour the match ignites due to some bad entries: first Baschirotto enters very hard on Lautaro, getting a yellow that smells of orange, then it is Lautaro who seeks personal revenge by intervening on Gonzalez, but here the referee Prontera lets go and the Via del Mare becomes a bullfight. The charge of the public arrives strong at Lecce, who in the 39th minute touches par with a nice foray by Strefezza, who however fails to corner and hits Handanovic.

CEESAY’S SCRATCH

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The start of recovery is a nightmare for Inter, who are punctured by Lecce at the first restart. Di Francesco and Ceesay (3 ‘) with a double exchange at speed cut out the Nerazzurri defense, with the Gambian who finds the winning diagonal and blows up the Via del Mare. Lecce takes confidence and Inter suddenly seems to be lost. Strefezza (7 ‘) tries the masterpiece goal with a right shot, but the aim is not precise, the Inter reaction is all in a weak conclusion by Barella. Inzaghi seeks the shock from the bench: outside an impalpable Gosens and Brozo, inside Bastoni (with Dimarco raised to the outside) and Mkhitaryan, with Calha climbing in the direction. But it is still Lecce to touch the advantage with a poisonous free-kick from Bistrovic, on which Handa enhances his reflexes. Then it’s up to the Giallorossi colleague Falcone (16 ‘) to instinctively reject a left footed shot by Dimarco.

BOARDING

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Inzaghi increases the weight of the attack on 23 ‘: out Darmian and Calha, in Dumfries and Dzeko, for an unprecedented trident made by all strikers, with Lautaro slightly lower to act as a link. And the winning shot almost immediately finds Dumfries on a cross from the usual Dimarco, but the Dutchman’s detachment ends up on the post. Then it is Lautaro (26 ‘) who cannot find the leading goal from a few steps away. The changes have changed the inertia of the match: Lecce is tired, Inter pushes on the outside and sends in poisonous balls in every lunge. Yet, it is still Handanovic at half an hour to save Inter, corner a missile of the newly entered Banda. Falcone saves again on De Vrij and then is loaded by Lukaku: irregular goal. The Rom-Falcone duel is repeated a few minutes later and still sees the Giallorossi number one winner, with a miracle on a close shot. Inzaghi tries it all out in the 40th minute: Correa for Skriniar and closing with four strikers. And in the end the victory comes in the most daring way, with a touch of Dumfries from the belly in the scrum and the last assault of recovery, in the 95th minute. A crazy victory, worthy of the crazy Inter.