Simone Inzaghi had an eye on the Champions League with his squad selection tonight, handing Kristjan Asllani and Davide Fratessi starts in midfield.
A tricky away match at Monza might not have been the best time to do this however as the Nerrazzurri really struggled to break down their opposition, who sat deep and waited for the right moment to pounce.
Alessandro Nesta obviously making his mark from the dugout.
Two points dropped that Inzaghi will hope won’t be decisive as the champions are held by a resolute Biancorossi.
Inter Can’t Break Through
Inter dominated possession in the first half but Monza were well prepared and stuck to their shape throughput the opening 45 minutes. The champions still managed to carve out some half chances however, the first of which came when Daniel Maldini playeda naivë ball right across his own box to Federico Dimarco. The left back’s shot blazed wide.
Maldini had a chance of his own soon after but his shot from distance went straight into the hands of Yann Sommer.
Lautaro Martínez arrived in the box with a late run on eight minutes but could only direct his header over the bar. The captain again used his head from a corner but this time it went wide of the post.
Monza were wary of the threat Inter pose on the break so were reluctant to commit men forward. As a result it was easy to forget Djuric was even on the pitch at times, the Bosnian not getting so much as a sniff.
Marcus Thuram was also frustrated down the other end with a lack of space to attack into.
Perhaps the best chance of the half fell to Fratessi on 26 minutes when he tried to side foot home a brilliant Dimarco cross, might have been a different story had it been Thuram on the end of it.
Nesta’s Monza probably went in for the break the happier team, their plan to nullify the Nerrazzurri working well.
Inzaghi Tries Turn the Tables
The Biancorossi had more initiative in the second half and played more confidently.
Simone Inzaghi had seen enough and decided to shake things up, making a trio of substitutions on 56 minutes. Lautaro Martínez made way for Mehdi Taremi who took to the pitch with Denzel Dumfries and Piotr Zielinski for company.
Monza were still in this game though and Djuric reminded the visitors of this with a header wide with 67 minutes on the clock.
Seeing the warnings, Inter upped the intensity and penned their opponents into the box for around ten minutes. The Monza defence remained watertight despite Benjamin Pavard’s header breezing past Stefano Turati’s left post. Defending in numbers to crowd out Inter was working for the home side and it was about to get better.
Mota Heads Monza In Front
With just nine minutes remaining Armando Izzo found space on the right. He floated a cross to the back post where Dany Mota was waiting. The Portuguese player rose above Pavard and headed home to start wild celebrations at the U-Power Stadium.
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Dumfries Does the Business
Now Inter really had to turn up the heat. Denzel Dumfries climbed to head his effort on goal, Turati tipping it over.
With five minutes remaining Inter did what champions tend to do and found a way. Carlos Augusto got away from his man on the left amd hit a low hard cross across the six yard box. All Dumfries had to do was side foot home.
Inter still believed a winner was there and in the first minute of injury time Frattesi blazed over from inside the area.
A good result for Monza but a warning for Inzaghi on squad rotation as his much changed champions are held by a resolute Biancorossi.
With big games coming up against Manchester City and Milan over the next week he will hope this is a hit worth taking.