Romelu Lukaku continued his run of strong form on Sunday, netting a brace in Inter’s 3-0 win over Empoli. As semi-final clashes in the Coppa Italia and the Champions League loom ahead, the Nerazzurri victory ends a lengthy winless run in domestic play.
Samir Handanovic – 8
In the opening stages of the match, Handanovic was the sole reason Empoli failed to take an early lead. The hosts pressed the Inter backline significantly, forcing the goalkeeper to make multiple impressive saves.
Danilo D’Ambrosio – 6
Initially, Fabiano Parisi gave D’Ambrosio fits on the wing, but the reserve defender adjusted well and had a decent match.
Francesco Acerbi – 8
In the air, Acerbi was unmatched, winning several challenges with his height while putting in a great shift.
Stefan De Vrij – 7
De Vrij totally neutralized Francesco Caputo with solid defending. On the offensive side of the ball, he nearly scored a header on a corner, but it glanced off the crossbar and out of play.
Robin Gosens – 5.5
The wing-back had a quieter match than usual, not adding much on offense or defense, but he did play an mistake-free game.
Raoul Bellanova – 7
As Inter struggles to find consistency on the right wing, Bellanova provided flashes of creativity, but often failed to complete the final ball. Overall, the 22-year-old put in a solid shift, with the visitors focusing their attacking play through him on the right.
Marcelo Brozovic – 7.5
Like a few of his teammates, Brozovic had a rough opening spell, but his form improved markedly as the match wore on. In the second half, the midfielder became more involved with the attack, picking up an assist on Lukaku’s opener.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 5
As usual, the Turk saw a lot of time on the ball, but his distribution in the final third was not at its best.
Roberto Gagliardini – 5.5
Despite nominally playing as the third central midfielder, a majority of Gagliardini’s touches came on the right wing. The midfielder had a great chance in the first half, but he fired the ball miles over the crossbar from close range.
Joaquin Correa – 5
Once again, Correa seemed to be extraordinarily far from nabbing a goal. The striker had to drop deep into the midfield to find the ball, and he often looked lost in the final third.
Romelu Lukaku – 8
After a lackluster first half, Lukaku’s second 45 was brilliant. The target man played an excellent one-two with Brozovic before taking a low, slow-rolling shot that found the bottom corner of the net. Later, he scored with a powerful shot that found the opposite corner, clinching the result for his side.
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+++ The president of the Football Federation Gabriele Gravina has just pardoned Romelu Lukaku "in an exceptional and extraordinary way".
"The principle of the fight against all forms of racism – is the explanation of the provision of the Football Federation – is a…
— Italian Football News ?? (@footitalia1) April 22, 2023
Substitutes
Lautaro Martinez – 7
After a catastrophic defensive error by Empoli, Martinez picked up a late third goal for his side.