At the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, Sampdoria hosted Inter for Sunday’s early kickoff, which turned out to be an entertaining encounter. Federico Dimarco gave the visitors the lead with a marvelous freekick, but Maya Yoshida leveled the score with a deflected effort. Lautaro Martinez restored the Nerazzurri’s advantage with a swift counter attack, but Tommaso Augello’s thunderous volley earned the hosts a vital point against the defending champions. So let’s take at look at the player ratings for the eventful lunchtime draw between Sampdoria and Inter which witnessed four goals, three of them scored by defenders.
Sampdoria XI
Emil Audero – 6
The former Juventus shot-stopper didn’t have a clear view on Dimarco’s freekick and couldn’t do much on Lautaro’s goal. Nonetheless, he pulled off two decent saves on Martinez and Correa.
Bartosz Bereszyński – 6.5
A story of two halves for the Polish right-back. Left too much space behind him which allowed Lautaro to score Inter’s second goal, but he provided the assist for Augello’s strike with a sublime cross and looked generally solid after the break.
Maya Yoshida – 7
The Japanese veteran put on a solid shift at the back, and helped in keeping Dzeko at bay. Scored his side’s first goal of the season with a shot that deflected off the Bosnian’s foot.
Omar Colley – 6
Despite a generally positive display against Dzeko and Lautaro, the big Gambian defender brought down the Argentine on the edge of the box which culminated in Inter’s first goal, and also gave away the ball on another occasion in the first half.
Tommaso Augello – 7
Another Sampdoria defender who found the back of the net, scoring a spectacular volley that left Handanovic with no chance at all. The Italian had the better of Darmian in the first half, but his only negative moment was failing to stop Barella en route towards Inter’s second goal.
Antonio Candreva – 6.5
The veteran winger had a decent display against his former side, and was often behind the Blucerchiatti’s dangerous chances.
Morten Thorsby – 6
The Norwegian is always his side’s most energetic midfielder, but his technical touch can let him down in crucial moments. Wasted a free header early in the first half.
Adrien Silva – 6.5
A confident display from the former Leicester City man who showcased his experience while keeping the ball ticking in the middle of the park and maintaining his side’s composure even in difficult times.
Mikkel Damsgaard – 5.5
The young Dane made a name for himself in this very encounter last season, but this time, he failed to deliver the goods in a largely quiet performance. Almost scored in the second half but was denied by a goal-line clearance from D’Ambrosio. Lost the ball that led to Inter’s second goal.
Francesco Caputo – 5.5
A hard working performance from the former Sassuolo striker, but rarely caused troubles for the likes of Skriniar and de Vrij. Wasted a golden opportunity with a mishit shot.
Fabio Quagliarella – 5.5
The Sampdoria captain didn’t cause too much danger for the Inter defenses, and left the pitch early in the second half.
Sampdoria Substitutes
Kristoffer Askildsen – 6
Replaced Quagliarella in the second half as Roberto D’Aversa wanted to bolster his midfield.
Nicola Murru – N/A
Valerio Verre – N/A
Ernesto Terrgrossa – N/A
1 – Prior to Federico #Dimarco, the last Inter Italian player able to score with a direct free kick in Serie A was Mario Balotelli in February 2009 v Bologna. Specialist.#SampdoriaInter #SerieA pic.twitter.com/Y5Q92Ql8B9
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) September 12, 2021
Inter XI
Samir Handanovic – 5.5
The Slovenian was left stranded on two occasions. Failed to react to Yoshida’s deflected shot and had no chance facing Augello’s thunderous shot. Looked shaky when dealing with Candreva’s cross that sailed towards his near post.
Milan Skriniar – 6.5
The Slovakian defender looked solid against his old side, leaving very little space for Quagliarella and Caputo. Almost added his name to the score-sheet with a towering header.
Stefan de Vrij – 6.5
Another confident performer at the back for the Beneamata, as the fomer Lazio man marshalled the backline keeping things tidy when his side was down to ten men following Sensi’s injury.
Federico Dimarco – 7
The former Parma man started in an unusual role as a part of the back-three, but proved to be a reliable defender when facing Candreva. Showcased his spectacular freekick capabilities with a wonderful opening goal that rocked Audero’s top corner.
Matteo Darmian – 5.5
The Italian wingback had some troubles in containing Augello, and couldn’t add much on the offensive phase.
Nicolò Barella – 7
The Euro 2020 winner demonstrated once again why he’s Simone Inzaghi’s most important midfielder. Was a burst of energy throughout the match, and created Lautaro’s goal with a beautiful run and cross.
Marcelo Brozovic – 5.5
The Croatian was once again unconvincing, and seems to be a less effective version from the Regista who architected Antonio Conte’s plays. Left the pitch early in the second half.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 6
The former Milan playmaker was another not-too-effective midfielder for Inter. Nonetheless, he retrieved the ball from Damsgaard and Launched the swift attack that led to his side’s second goal.
Ivan Perisic – 6
The former Bayern Munich man did well to help his team in limiting the opponents’ danger from their right flank, but his deeper position meant that he rarely had the chance to create danger with his notorious runs on the wing.
Lautaro Martinez – 7
The Argentine was the most dangerous Inter player on the pitch. He was denied by Audero earlier in the first half, but left the goalkeeper with no chance, smashing his volley home from close range.
Edin Dzeko – 5.5
The Bosnian started the match well but his impact later faded, as he suffered to find spaces between Yoshida and Colley.
Inter Substitutes
Arturo Vidal – 6
The Chilean was an improvement on Brozovic, and had to work double-shift alongside Barella following Sensi’s injury.
Danilo D’Ambrosio – 6
Struggled to contain Candreva at times, but his goal-line clearance on Damsgaard’s shot earned his side a hard-fought draw.
Joaquin Correa – 6.5
Always threatening with his runs to the box, but lacked the finishing touch.
Stefano Sensi – 6
What was Inzaghi thinking when he wrapped up his substitutions before the 70th minute?! The Italian took a knock when facing Yoshida, but insisted on finishing the match, until his leg completely gave up.
Denzel Dumfries – 6
An encouraging performance from the Dutch wingback who managed to threaten with some runs from the right flank.
1 – Nicolò #Barella is the first Inter's player able to provide assist in each of his first three Serie A games in a single season since 2004/05 (since Opta collected this data). Artist.#SampdoriaInter #SerieA pic.twitter.com/DGDBFuWLib
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) September 12, 2021