At the Bolshaya Sportinaya Arena, Moldovan dark horses Sheriff Tiraspol hosted Italian champions Inter in the fourth matchday of the Champions League Group Stage. The Scudetto winners were the better side from start to finish, and they eventually managed to earn their second straight victory over their opponents thanks to three second half goals.
Yuriy Vernydub started in a 4-2-3-1 formation spearheaded by Djasur Yakhshibaev, supported by Adama Traoré, Dimitris Kolosov and Frank Castaneda.
On the other hand, Simone Inzaghi adopted his preferred 3-5-2 lineup, with captain Samir Handanovic between the posts, Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni as the back three.
Matteo Darmian and Federico Dimarco took the wingback roles, with Nicolò Barella, Marcelo Brozovic and Arturo Vidal in the middle of the park. Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez led the line for the Nerazzurri.
The match started with some back and forth action with both sides trying to break the deadlock.
A corner kick for Inter found Dzeko at the back of the post, but he couldn’t direct his header towards the Sheriff goal.
At the 29th minute, Bastoni’s cross from the left caused a scramble inside the hosts’ penalty box. Barella passed the ball to Darmian, but his shot whistled past the far post.
At the 40th minute, the visitors’ onslaught continued, as de Vrij picked up Lautaro on the the edge of the box, but his curler hit the far post.
By the end of the first half, Inter had dominated the play with 67% possession and 14 attempts, but were only able to hit the target on one occasion, as Sheriff managed to survive the first 45 minutes.
⏸️ | HALF TIME
The first half of #SheriffInter draws to a close! #SheriffInter 0️⃣-0️⃣#UCL #ForzaInter pic.twitter.com/UtevwsMbjY
— Inter ??? (@Inter_en) November 3, 2021
Following the restart, the Beneamata were adamant on scoring, and eventually go their wish at the 53th minute. Vidal stormed into the box before playing a back-pass to Brozovic. The Croatian lost his marker with a cheeky fake before unleashing a shot that found its way to goal.
At the 67th minute, Inter doubled their lead despite the heroics of the Sheriff goalkeeper. Brozovic’s corner kick found Skriniar’s header but Giorgos Athanasiadis made the save before denying the Slovakian’s rebound as well. Nevertheless, the former Sampdoria man insisted on scoring, and he found the back of the net on the third attempt.
And yet, Inter weren’t done yet, as Alexis Sanchez stole the ball from the Sheriff captain Gustavo Dulanto right after coming in, and unleashed a venomous shot to the roof of the goal, putting the match to bed with his team’s third of the night.
Nonetheless, the Moldovans were able to snatch a late consolation goal, as Sebastien Thill’s cross found Traoré’s head, and he managed to put it past Handanovic’s dive.
At the end of the day, the Nerazzurri earned three vital points that allowed them to surpass Sheriff’s tally and put them in second place behind Real Madrid. The Italians are yet to qualify, but this is surely a step in the right direction.
⏯️ | FULL TIME
The curtain comes down on a Nerazzurri victory! ?️⚫?#SheriffInter 1️⃣-3️⃣#UCL #ForzaInter pic.twitter.com/W1ATkoFVpP
— Inter ??? (@Inter_en) November 3, 2021