Udinese makes Inter suffer, but the three points go to Milan

The championship race passes through Friuli and does not stop: Inter ends up as the provincial, wasting time one meter from the flag, but takes all three points up for grabs to stay at -2 from leaders Milan, taking advantage of the false start of the Friulians

UDINE. The championship race passes through Friuli and does not stop: Inter ends up as the provincial, wasting time one meter from the flag, but takes all three points up for grabs to stay at -2 from leaders Milan, taking advantage of the false start of the ‘Udinese who gives the first half to their opponents and only in the second half shows some glimpses of that game that has often put the top of the class in crisis.

There was “Tucu” Pereyra in the starting eleven for Juventus, there was Leao’s goal bouncing from San Siro in the approach of a sold out match (or almost) at the Friuli stadium, with Inter forced to win to stay in the wake of Milan’s scudetto, while on the other side Udinese had zero pressure after the surprising 4-0 blow in Florence and that (platonic) hope of reaching “50” still alive and far from unattainable : seven points to be scored against Sassuolo, Spezia and Salernitana on the final straight of the championship is a goal, but certainly not as pressing as the two-color goal pursued by the Nerazzurri.

Yet the nervousness, the precipitation, the imprecision are all Udinese in the initial part of the match, with Molina unusually ruffled on the right wing, where Udinese has often made the difference in the last few matches, but also Success, who presented himself with a hair bleached between blond and red, it is really a disaster when he is called by his companions to act as a banker, playing once again as deputy Beto, since the Portuguese must again mark a visit.

The disqualified Makengo is also missing, but there, in the median, Mr. Cioffi chooses the returning “Tucu” to plug the flaw, just as Perez returns in defense after the stop turn decreed by the sports judge for the match against Fiorentina.

Inter, on the other hand, shows up without Calhanoglu in the middle, but with Handanovic in place of the setter goalkeeper Radu, who ended up on trial for Bologna’s winning goal last Wednesday. And the presence of the Slovenian number 1, a longtime ex at Friuli, is immediately noticeable when he defuses a conclusion from Walace from the edge.

On the other front, Inzaghino’s team begins to press, gaining ground and corners after about ten minutes of study. On the second the quick succession here is the black and white omelette: Arslan lets Perisic get up to take advantage of Dimarco’s corner and score. False start for Udinese, irrepressible joy for the Inter people capable of filling the Curva Sud as well as the guest sector. Better to restart the car for Cioffi.

The problem is that he must immediately acknowledge that Success will not be able to participate in the rescue, since after 25 minutes on a shot he stops the victim of a muscle problem in his left thigh. Pussetto enters, the Juventus defense has not yet entered the game, however: Perez and Marì fall asleep on a cut by Lautaro Martinez in the area and only a miracle by Silvestri prevents the Argentine’s diagonal from bagging, but on the rebound Dzeko the quickest, enough to bypass Marì and claim the penalty for a touch that escapes Chiffi. Surreal scene.

But the game stops, it seems a time-out for the heat, instead and a long check with the Var Banti who recommends the penalty from the Lissone room. Lautaro from the spot first shoots on the post to Silvestri’s right, then transforms. Two to zero. But the race remains alive. Also nervous. Udinese down by two goals has few weapons without a real reference center forward.

In the interval, Cioffi chooses that he has seen too much (too little) from Arslan and sends Samardzic onto the field. He is a choice that gives less filter to the midfield, but more quality to the maneuver, so much so that the percentage of possession goes up, not the offensive production. It takes a piece of skill to put Udinese back in the running and Deulofeu, up to that moment on the sidelines, succeeds: punishment earned by Pussetto (Skriniar foul), the number 10 crosses the thick barrier, Handanovic removes the ball from the corner, but puts it on the left of Udogie who hits for Pussetto who from close range pushes him into the net. Now the game has really reopened.

The Friulian supporters catch their breath, the Inter fans get stuck between the edges of the match. Inzaghi changes the whole attack to try to remove the “Fine” sign, the former Alexis Sanchez, the Nino Maravilla launched by Udinese, executes, but the goal is offside. The last ten minutes plus recovery are so fiery: Udinese presses, Inter wastes time, facilitated by the uncertain Chiffi (and by the carneade Baroni, an incredible fourth official who allows Inzaghi to redo a substitution already put into practice) and from the advantage. The three points fly to the old Pinetina.