Inter Ground and Pound Benevento in Lautaro – Lukaku Show

Inter answered loud and clear to Milan as they cruised past Benevento on Saturday night to remain second in the Serie A table, two points behind the Rossoneri. But if Milan had to sweat to overcome Bologna’s resistance in the afternoon, the game at the San Siro was a stroll in the park for Antonio Conte and his boys, who put four past Filippo Inzaghi’s Streghe.

For Inter, there were goals from Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku, after Riccardo Improta’s own goal opened the scoring for the Nerazzurri after just seven minutes. What’s more, Conte could also give space to some of his backup options – including a starting slot for Christian Eriksen in midfield in place of Marcelo Brozovic.

Conte’s additional changes from his mid-week Coppa Italia test were Andrea Ranocchia at the back, Roberto Gagliardini in the middle of the park, and Ivan Perisic as left wing-back. Considering that the Nerazzurri will face Juventus in a Coppa Italia Semi Final next Wednesday, resting some of his regular starters proved to be a wise choice.

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Our starting line-up for #InterBenevento! ?#FORZAINTER ⚫️? pic.twitter.com/PVjD5fzyCB

— Inter (@Inter_en) January 30, 2021

Fortune favors the bold, they say, and Conte’s hazards quickly paid off. After just seven minutes, Eriksen whipped a free kick into the box and Riccardo Improta put the ball past his own goalkeeper in a clumsy attempt to clear it.

Benevento protested for a contact between Ranocchia and Gianluca Lapadula, but referee Pasqua waved play on. In any case, the two seemed to connect outside the box. That’s all the visitors could produce in the first half, which ended with Samir Handanovic keeping his sheet clean – and his gloves, as well. 

Inter, on the other hand, tested Lorenzo Montipò on several occasions: After a Lautaro Martinez curl missed the target, Benevento’s goalie had to punch back an Eriksen shot on 32 minutes. The Dane also served another golden chance, this time to Hakimi – but the Moroccan’s header crashed above the bar. Lautaro didn’t seem to be in one of his nights and missed two more occasions before half time.

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??‍♀️ #ForzaStrega pic.twitter.com/TORYAWEZ6W

— Benevento Calcio (@bncalcio) January 30, 2021

 A few minutes into the second half, El Toro hit the back of the net as he tapped the ball in from a fine Eriksen shot that bounced back after hitting the crossbar, but he was caught offside. It was just a matter of time, however: On 56 minutes, Lautaro received the ball in the middle of the box, freed himself from two opponents, and slotted it into the bottom right corner to make it two for Inter. It was a sort of liberation for the Argentine, who had not been scoring in the last six games.

Two became three in the 67th minute as the Romelu Lukaku show opened. The Belgian showed he has put his scuff with Zlatan Ibrahimovic behind him, thought his goal was mostly courtesy of Montipò, who gift-wrapped ball possession to Inter with a horrific clearance. He then bagged his brace on 78 minutes, making the best out of an Alexis Sanchez assist.

There was nothing more to report in the last stages of the game, as Inter started to switch their mind to the upcoming Coppa Italia Derby d’Italia, and Benevento just tried not to get some more punishment. With 22 points in the table, the Streghe are still comfortably clear of the relegation zone – though the 40 goals conceded so far (the second worst defense in the league) may give Filippo Inzaghi a few reasons for concern.

 

MATCH REPORT

January 30, 2021 – Serie A 2020-21 Round 20
INTER-BENEVENTO 4-0

SCORERS: 7′ Improta o.g., 57′ Lautaro Martinez, 65′ Lukaku, 77′ Lukaku

REFEREE: Mr. Pasqua from Tivoli
NOTES: Yellow Cards: Caldirola, Depaoli (B); Extra Time: 1st Half 1′, 2nd Half 0′