On Saturday night, Inter travelled to Florence in the hopes of extending their winning streak at the expense of Fiorentina. While they managed to grab the points at the end of the day, their task was anything but simple, as their hosts kept clinging into the match until the final whistle of what turned out to be a thriller for the ages.
Starting Lineups
As usual, Vincenzo Italiano started with 4-3-3 formation, with Arthur Cabral leading the line, flanked by Nicolas Gonzalez and Christian Kouamé. In the middle of the park, Sofyan Amrabat was joined by Giacomo Bonaventura and Alfred Duncan.
On the opposite corner, André Onana maintained his spot in Simone Inzaghi’s 3-5-2 lineup, with Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij and Francesco Acerbi acting as the back-three. Matteo Darmian and Federico Dimarco were thrusted on the wings.
With Marcelo Brozovic still out, Hakan Calhanoglu continued to serve in an unusual Regista role, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Nicolò Barella, while the Argentine duo of Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa were unleashed upfront.
Swift Barella Opener
The visitors wasted no time at all, taking the lead as early as the second minute. Some clever movement from the Inter forwards drew the Fiorentina defenders out of their positions, opening up space for Barella’s run.
Lautaro fed the Italian midfielder with an exquisite assist, and even though it wasn’t the neatest of finishes, Barella still managed to beat Terraciano from close-range and extend his current goal-scoring run.
To make matters worse for the Viola, Gonzalez had to leave the pitch early on after sustaining a knock. Italiano resorted to Jonathan Ikoné as a replacement.
Latauro Doubles Inter Lead
While the home side was pushing for an equalizer, Lautaro squashed their hopes of a rapid comeback by doubling the Nerazzurri’s lead with a brilliant solo effort, pouncing on some poor passing at the back from the Tuscans.
The Argentine star cut past his compatriot Lucas Martinez Quarta with a storming run before unleashing a low drive that left Terraciano with no chance at all.
Arthur Spot-Kick Rekindles Hopes
To their credit, Fiorentina didn’t succumb to despair, instead they kept lunging forward and eventually earned a penalty kick. Bonaventura couldn’t connect well with cross inside the box, nonetheless, he was still caught by Dimarco’s late challeng, and the referee pointed to the spot following a VAR review.
Arthur made no mistake while converting the spot kick, rekindling the hosts’ hope before the halftime break.
Ikoné Stunner
After the interval, Italiano went all-in, introducing Luka Jovic as an additional striker. At the hour-mark, the Florentines snatched an equalizer with a marvelous counter much to the delight of the Franchi crowds.
Kouamé picked up Ikoné with a sublime pass across the field, and the latter took on Acerbi before sending a stunning curler towards the far post.
Lautaro Restores Inter Lead
Nonetheless, the Fiorentina comeback was short lived, as Inter swiftly restored their advantage with an unstoppable penalty kick from Lautaro.
Edin Dzeko made an immediate impact after coming in by sending Martinez through on goal with a clever pass, and the latter was tripped by Terraciano’s desperate hand. VAR confirmed the legitimacy of the spot kick, and the Argentine’s delivery was simply impeccable.
Jovic Volley
But just when Inter thought they earned all three points, Fiorentina pulled off another equalizer in the first minute of added time.
A wonderful corner kick from Aleksa Terzic was directed by Nikola Milenkovic, and his compatriot Jovic stunned the visitors with a fabulous volley that went past a sea of players.
Lucky Mkhitaryan Wins It
Yet, the thrilling clash had one more twist in store, as a fast counter attack sealed the deal for the Beneatama. While trying the clear the ball, Lorenzo Venuti hit it straight at Mkhitaryan. The ball bounced off the lucky Armenian’s leg and into the goal, prompting crazy celebrations on the visitors’ dugout.
Therefore, Inter edged Fiorentina in a dramatic 4-3 win, managing to maintain their recent resurgence while keeping up with Napoli’s chasing pack.
The Nerazzurri will now turn their attention towards Europe, as they will have the change to seal their qualification to the Champions League knockout stages when they host Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday.
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