Inter humbled 10-man Torino 3-1 at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in their last Serie A outing before October’s international break. Easier than expected, Simone Inzaghi’s team made it six consecutive home league wins against the Granata.
Hours after Mateo Retegui notched up his first hat-trick for Atalanta, Marcus Thuram replied in the same fashion. The French striker maintained his rich vein of form at the start of the new Serie A season with another man-of-the-match performance to single-handedly dispatch Torino.
After drawing a red card for Guillermo Maripan in the 20th minute, the ex-Borussia Monchengladbach forward opened to scoring with an instinctive finish from close range. It took the free-scoring Inter star only ten minutes to double his tally tonight with a thumping header.
Duvan Zapata restored some drama, at least temporarily. The Torino captain scored seconds after Thuram’s second, leaving Paolo Vanoli’s side only one goal down at halftime. However, the visitors’ comeback hopes evaporated early in the second half.
Thuram claimed his first hat-trick in the Inter shirt, slotting home a tricky half-volley from only a few yards out after latching on to a loose ball inside Torino’s area. It was the final nail in Granata’s coffin, as they couldn’t recover from a two-goal deficit.
Let’s look at our player ratings.
Inter (3-5-2)
Yann Sommer – 6.5
His stunning save to thwart Samuele Ricci’s long-range attempt confirmed the veteran goalkeeper still has his mojo. There was nothing he could’ve done against Zapata’s shot.
Alessandro Bastoni – 7
With Torino forced to defend for the largest chunk of the game, the Italy international had plain sailing, allowing him to participate in the build-up play more than usual.
Francesco Acerbi – 7
Only a handful of players can keep up with such an intense league as the ex-Lazio man, who enjoyed a near-faultless evening at Giuseppe Meazza.
Yann Bisseck – 5.5
His disastrous reaction caused panic in Inter’s backline, leading to Zaapta’s goal. It was his least impressive performance this season, considering his attacking contribution was equally meager.
Federico Dimaro 6.5
He’s become such a nuisance on the left flank! His crosses cause havoc in the opposition’s penalty area even when he doesn’t score or assist. He should’ve netted tonight.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6
While the Armenian’s work ethic is nothing short of commendable, his form decline remains an elephant in the room, with Inzaghi reluctant to bench him, even though he should.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 5
Not one of his brightest showings in the Inter shirt by any stretch of the imagination! Before giving away a cheap penalty late in the game, the Turkish stuttered in the opening third, mostly choosing his nearest teammates to pass the ball.
Davide Frattesi – 6
Inzaghi handed him his second consecutive Serie A start in Nicolo Barella’s absence, but the ex-Sassuolo starlet failed to impress after a sublime performance against Udinese last weekend.
Matteo Darmian – 5.5
Despite his admirable defensive effort, the right-back’s well-documented attacking limitations came to the fore in the moments when Inter dominated 10-man Torino.
Lautaro Martinez – 6.5
Unlucky not to score tonight, considering he had several decent chances.
Marcus Thuram – 8
Masterclass in its purest form! He was a thorn in Torino’s side since the get-go, with Inzaghi’s decision to sub him off eight minutes after completing his hat-trick sparing the visitors’ blushes.
Substitutes
Mehdi Taremi – 6
Denzel Dumfries – 6
Piotr Zielinski – 6.5
Stefan de Vrij – N/A
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