Marcelo Brozovic’s last-gasp winner handed Inter a dramatic 1-0 home win over Torino, getting them back to winning ways in Serie A. After back-to-back defeats to Milan and Bayern Munich, Simone Inzaghi’s side needed a victory at Giuseppe Meazza to bolster their spirits.
Though they had to wait until the 89th minute to break down Torino’s stubborn defense, Inter will relish the three points they picked up on Saturday. Nicolo Barella chipped the ball over the top, with Brozovic getting his right foot on the end of the cross to seal a morale-boosting triumph for Inzaghi’s side.
Inter may have halted a two-game losing streak, but their performance flattered to deceive. In an uneventful first half, it was Torino to miss the best goalscoring opportunity. West Ham United loanee Nikola Vlasic saw his attempt from inside the box thwarted by Samir Handanovic in the 20th minute.
Given the Croat’s free-scoring form, Inter got lucky he failed to get on the scoresheet for his fourth consecutive Serie A appearance. However, the Nerazzurri struggled to cope with Torino’s watertight backline and did not attempt a single shot on target before halftime. Luckily for under-pressure Inzaghi, his men reacted well after the break.
But despite taking control of the ball and dictating the pace, Inter had to survive several scary moments in the second half. After being criticized for several lackluster showings against Lazio and Milan, Handanovic came up huge to rescue his side time and time again on Saturday.
The Inter captain pulled off massive saves to deny Antonio Sanabria early into the second half before fending off Ricardo Rodriguez’s free-kick on the stroke of the hour-mark. He then prevented Nemanja Radonjic from finding the net with a fabulous diving save to lay the foundation for his team’s win.
Before Brozovic’s winner, Inter came knocking on Torino’s door twice. Vanja Milinkovic-Savic first deflected Milan Skriniar’s towering header before Lautaro Martinez’s headed attempt sailed narrowly wide of the right post!.
Saturday’s heartbreaking defeat was Torino’s second in three Serie A matches, while Inter received a confidence boost ahead of their Champions League trip to Viktoria Plzen.