&w=707&quality=100)
Lautaro Martinez was the winner for Inter at Cremonese
Lautaro Martinez scored twice as Inter came from behind to get back on track in Serie A with a 2-1 win over Cremonese.
Martinez scored either side of the interval in Saturday’s Lombardy derby at the Stadio Giovanni Zini.
With a sharp finish that canceled out David Okereke’s sensational first-half opener, Martinez scored from inside the box in the 65th minute.
The win takes Inter on to 40 points and, at least temporarily, into second place, although leaders Napoli lead by 10 points.
Inter’s scintillating start failed to produce any real chances, and they were surprised by a superb opener in the 11th minute wheeeeen Okereke curled a shot under the bar.
But Cremonese’s advantage lasted just 10 minutes, with Martinez reacting sharply to score after Marco Carnesecchi parried Edin Dzeko’s volley.
Andre Onana’s save prevented Marco Benassi’s close-range attempt to restore Cremonese’s lead, before Martinez drilled wide at the other end.
Martinez capitalized on another chance before half-time, sending a tame rebound to Carnesecchi following Federico Dimarco’s shot.
Carnesecchi was called into action again after the restart to ensure Dimarco’s cross was not found, but Inter pressssed on and were rewarded with 25 minutes remaining – Dzeko brought on Martinez, who beat Carnesecchi.
Martinez replaced Joaquin Correa soon after his stint was over, although Cristian Buonaiuto’s Matteo Darmian late effort was necessary to ensure Inter came home with all three points.
What does it mean? More misery for the winless Cremonese
Cremonese are only the second team since Serie A returned to the league with 20 teams (2004-05) to fail to win a match in the first half of the season (after Hellas Verona in 2015-16) – and despite their best efforts it is still a long way from them with 20 campaign matches count.
They did create a few chances, had 12 shots and four on target, but in the balance of the game the results were fair. Inter finished with 2.5 expected goals (xG) and had 30 attempts, while home keeper Carnesescchi made eight saves, including a superb late save from Denzel Dumfries, as well as having to get the ball out of the net twice.
Double figures for Martinez, again
With Romelu Lukaku in such dire straits – he has now failed to score in seven Serie A appearances after replacing Dzeko, his worst form in the competition – Inter at least have Martinez to call upon.
Martinez’s two goals took him to 11 league goals for the season, making him the third foreign player in Inter history to reach double figures in Serie A in at least four seasons, after Stefano Nyers and Mauro Icardi.
The Argentinian forward has now been involved in 13 goals in his last 10 Serie A matches against promoted opponents, scoring 11 goals and providing two more assists. He also scored in the previous game in August.
Okereke faded after a stunning start
It was Cremonese forward Okereke’s opening goal, which gave Onana a slight chance with a superb finish that caught Inter off guard.
However, the 25-year-old has struggled to hold on to the game since then, and when he came off in the 72nd minute it was the only shot he managed, while he also committed three fouls and lost possession 12 times. .
Opta key facts
– With his most recent exploits, Martínez became the first player to score 10 or more goals in each of the last four Serie A seasons.
– Inter have conceded 21 goals in 10 away games in Serie A this season. They have never conceded more goals after the same number of games in a single Serie A season, netting 21 goals also in 1947-48, 1931-32 and 1930-31.
- Only Salernitana (25) have conceded more goals than Inter in away games in Serie A this season. The Nerazzurri have conceded in their last 14 away league games, their longest run in Serie A since 1988 (18 under Giovanni Trapattoni).
What’s next?
Inter host Atalanta in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on Tuesday, with Cremonese taking on Roma in the same competition a day later.