The Christmas gift to the fans ofInter it's a sweaty 2-0 to As. He arrives only in injury time, with a cannon shot Thuramafter a first half that ended in a draw and the first signature of the match made by Charles Augustus. The performance under the tree of the Italian champions is not sparkling. Goals are not as plentiful as at the Olimpico, a week earlier, because opportunities are lacking.
Accomplice, in front, a As grim. Fabregasabandoning the Barcelona spirit, deploys a defensive phase with narrow and low lines, almost a 4-5-1, from which he tries to emerge after half an hour in the trenches with Belotti who catches Fadera well in the wide space behind the Inter defenders (central shot). Reina is even less busy, protected by an orderly and compact phalanx. The home fans (another sold out despite the upcoming holidays) are hoping for an encore of the trip to Rome last round, when Inter dozed for 40 minutes before overflowing to 6-0. Dimarco's attempt is a first ring, just before the break. Inter returning from the tunnel shows a nastier face. Presses on the accelerator, crashes into Dossena on Thuram's shot, unlocks with Carlos Augusto's header from a corner Calhanoglu. Inzaghi's left-handed “arm” is decisive even when he anticipates Goldaniga by a whisker, avoiding the guest's equalizer in the quarter of an hour. In the following action Sommer takes care of extinguishing Nico Paz's dreams of glory. Kone and Cutrone for Sergi Roberto and Strefezza are Fabregas' moves. The Ivorian loses two balls in his own midfield as soon as he enters and Como risks it. Lautaro scores, but offside. As in the Cup, the match was stopped for a few minutes due to an illness in the stands, so it was up to Inzaghi to insert De Vrij and Zielinski, followed by Buchanan, Frattesi and Thuram (on the opposite side inside Mazzitelli, Barba and Cerri). Cutrone scares Meazza with a header wide. Only in full recovery did Thuram strike Reina on his post by unleashing an exceptionally powerful right foot, the thrust that ended the match.
Before the kick-off, another scores Beppe Marottaresponding to Gerry Cardinale's recent statements. “These statements are out of place – explains the Inter president – It is true that in past years our majority shareholder has had financial difficulties, but a few years ago he was supported by Oaktree who now owns the club and outlined the guidelines. We respond al Financial Fair Play and we went from a 246 million loss to 36, winning the Scudetto and Super Cup, achieving the second star. And we are the only team in Milan to have it…”.
