Milan (BERITAPOLITIK.ONLINE) — The anticipation of Inter Milan clinching the Serie A title is rapidly shifting from an “if” to a “when.”
On Monday (04/03/2024), Inter secured a 2-1 victory against Genoa, widening their lead to an impressive 15 points ahead of Juventus, currently occupying the second spot. Juventus faced a setback in the previous evening’s match against Napoli.
This marked Inter’s 12th consecutive triumph, a remarkable streak since December, which began with a draw against Genoa. Notably, the Nerazzurri currently boast the most formidable attack and defense among Europe’s top five leagues.
Genoa, having lost only one of their past 11 matches, was one of the four teams that hadn’t suffered defeat against Inter this season.
In a thrilling encounter, Inter took the lead at the half-hour mark through a brilliantly orchestrated team play. Nicolò Barella’s precision found Alexis Sánchez, who then set up Kristjan Asllani for a powerful shot into the net, marking Kristjan Asllani debut goal for Nerazzurri.
Sánchez himself added to the tally eight minutes later by converting a penalty, controversially awarded due to a foul by Genoa’s Morten Frendrup on Barella. Despite VAR intervention prompted by doubts about the timing of the foul, the decision stood after referee Giovanni Ayroldi reviewed the incident.
The goal marked Sánchez’s first Serie A goal since his return to Inter from Marseille in August.
Genoa mounted a comeback in the second half, with Johan Vázquez volleying into the bottom right corner after a clearance by Inter’s Stefan de Vrij.
Although Genoa thought they had leveled the score in the 66th minute with Mateo Retegui’s strike, it was disallowed for offside.
Inter received a boost with Marcus Thuram’s return from injury. The French forward, who has enjoyed a stellar first season in Italy with 10 goals and seven assists, had played in all of Inter’s matches before his injury in the 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid last month.
The second leg of the Champions League round-of-16 matchup is scheduled for March 13.
