MILAN. It is no longer a championship sprint. It has almost become a catwalk with no opponents. Inter manages the recovery with Sassuolo at San Siro with absolute pragmatism. Rule 2-1 the Emilians, hits the tenth consecutive victory and flies to +11 in the standings over Milan second. Nine days from the end, with 27 points up for grabs, it means having a safety distance equal to 40% of the loot still potentially available. A gap that would allow you to lose three games and draw one. It’s a lot from every point of view.
Antonio Conte’s team overcame Sassuolo with one goal in each half: Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, for a change. The second best attacking pair in Europe after Bayern Munich’s Lewandowski-Muller. For the Belgian also a goal canceled for offside in the recovery. Inter easily amortized the suspensions of Bastoni and Brozovic. Now the Nerazzurri will have to cushion the absence of Barella, who was cautioned and therefore disqualified for Sunday’s match against “his” Cagliari still at San Siro. Inter are also celebrating the return to the stadium of Beppe Marotta, absent from the derby on 21 February due to Covid: “I’m recovering after coming out of a heavy experience – says the Nerazzurri CEO before the start – is a experience that marks you. I was able to ascertain the competence and sense of humanity of doctors and paramedics ».
Sassuolo complained about a possible penalty by De Vrij on Raspadori just before Inter’s 2-0. Lapidary De Zerbi at the end of the match: «For me it’s a penalty. I don’t like Irrati as a referee ». However, Raspadori has an afternoon to remember: he captained at 21 against the team he supported as a child. The Neroverdi goal is packaged by another 21-year-old, born two days before Raspadori: the Ivorian Hamed Traoré. But it comes too late to break even.
Inter immediately goes on velvet. At 10 ‘, for the third consecutive game, Lukaku thinks to break the deadlock: the Belgian striker spins ahead with his head, with a perfect timing, and deflects a well-rounded cross from Young behind Consiglio. It is Lukaku’s 21st goal this season, his first with a squash. Young’s performance captures Inter’s state of grace: the English winger, deployed in place of the injured Perisic, responds brilliantly. Prior to the suggestion for Lukaku, he had already fished well in the Hakimi area and had Consiglio cautioned. Once they have taken the lead, Inter concedes the initiative to Sassuolo. But green-and-blacks only produce a couple of not particularly poisonous occasions with Boga.
The script does not change even in the second half. Conte tries to vary this score by replacing Eriksen with Sensi at 14 ‘. The Dane does not seem happy to leave the field when there is still half an hour left. With the entry of the midfielder from the Marches, revitalized by the blue appearances, the disposition of Inter changes: Barella moves to the center in the control room, Sensi goes to occupy the position of left midfielder. The game ends shortly after. At 22 ‘Lautaro starts on the counterattack and strikes Advocates with a ruthless diagonal. However, the episode that precedes this reversal in the face leaves some doubt: in the opposite area De Vrij pulls Raspadori’s shirt which falls to the ground. The players and the Sassuolo bench loudly call Irrati who flies over and is not called back by the Var.
The Emilians continue to grind their harmonic maneuver. But they face an imperturbable giant who has been leveling every obstacle in its path for two and a half months. Nobody has stopped him for ten days. Impossible to imagine a comeback in 25 minutes against those who only know how to win from January 30th. The neroverdi only manage to get close to 40 ‘with a splendid goal from the young Ivorian Hamed Traoré, with a very soft touch. Sassuolo deserved to leave a mark on the scorer’s scoresheet. Maybe even something more. The destination of the three points does not change. And even the epilogue of the championship seems to have a written and difficult to modify direction.