Reigning Serie A champions Inter bounced back from last weekend’s derby defeat against Milan with an enthralling 3-2 win against Udinese. Simone Inzaghi’s side posted their fourth consecutive victory against the Friulians as Lautaro Martinez finally got off the mark in the 2024/25 season.
Inter needed just 40 seconds to break the deadlock. Matteo Darmian’s defense-splitting pass released David Frattesi in space. The Italian midfielder slotted the ball under Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye to put the Nerazzurri in front.
However, Inter got complacent after finding the net. Udinese took advantage of the visitors’ sluggish approach to level the score late in the first half through Christian Kabasele’s first goal in Serie A since March 2023. But the home side still headed into halftime with a deficit.
Federico Dimarco’s low cross on the stroke of the interval fell nicely for Martinez, who guided the ball past Okoye to restore Inter’s lead. Two minutes into the second half, the Inter captain doubled his account with a phenomenal finish from the edge of the box to make it 3-1.
Lorenzo Lucca offered Udinese a glimmer of hope in second-half stoppages. The towering striker stormed past Hakan Calhanoglu to break one-on-one with Yann Sommer. There was no hope for the Swiss goalkeeper as Luca calmly put the ball around him to set the final score.
Let’s look at our Inter ratings.
Inter (3-5-2)
Yann Sommer – 6
Beaten twice in the same match for the second round running, the veteran can’t be pleased with himself, though there wasn’t much he could’ve done for both goals.
Alessandro Bastoni – 6.5
It wasn’t one of his best showings in the Inter shirt. The Italian defender made some inexplicable mistakes in the first half but got away unpunished.
Francesco Acerbi – 7
He’s such a dependable center-back, even at this age. Another example of performance from the ex-Lazio man, who’s aging like fine wine.
Yann Bisseck – 7
Like Acerbi, the youngster fared impressively at the Bluenergy Stadium, especially when asked to handle Keinan Davis in one-on-one situations.
Matteo Darmian – 7
After recording an assist, the aging fullback nearly got on the scoresheet, but his effort from close range flew a whisker wide of the near post.
Davide Frattesi – 7.5
His well-documented scoring instincts were on full display, yet he could’ve grabbed the second midway through the first half, only to see his first-time shot go agonizingly wide.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 6.5
Fatigue caught up with the Turkish midfielder, allowing Lucca to ensure a dramatic finish in Udine. However, his passing was outstanding, as was his work ratio.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan 6.5
The Armenian’s tireless runs in the midfield were key to Inter’s success today. He did all the silent work in the center of the park in Nicolo Barella’s absence.
Federico Dimarco – 7
Another game, another assist for the highly productive wingback! In addition to serving Martinez on a silver platter, he made numerous progressive runs and dispatched several dangerous crosses.
Marcus Thuram – 6.5
Despite failing to score, the Frenchman provided an assist for his captain and was more than helpful in the visitors’ build-up play.
Lautaro Martinez – 7.5
It was always a matter of time. It took the Inter skipper six rounds to break the drought, but once he did, the second came almost effortlessly.
Substitutes
Carlos Augusto – 6
Mehdi Taremi – 5.5
Stefan de Vrij – 5.5
Piotz Zielinski – N/A
Joaquin Correa – N/A
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