Sensi’s wonder goal against Empoli
Stefano Sensi’s fantastic goal in extra time took Inter to the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia in the 2020-21 season.
Inter might not have much of a cake this season, but at least there’s some icing and a cherry on top to go with whatever the 2022/23 campaign turns out to be. The Nerazzurri won its second straight Supercoppa with a dominant 3-0 thrashing of Milan, making this a particularly sweet trophy to add to the cabinet. An early goal from Federico Dimarco set the tone and Inter never looked back, putting two more past Milan via Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez before all was said and done in Riyadh.
Simone Inzaghi made just a sole change from the 1-0 win against Verona over the weekend, with the fully received Nicolo Barella replacing Roberto Gagliardini in midfield. Stefano Pioli’s Milan, meanwhile, changed things up a bit more after a draw at Lecce, bringing Kjaer, Tonali, and Messias into the squad.
The action got off to a red-hot start out of the gates. Inter opened the scoring ten minutes in when Federico Dimarco tapped in a Nicolo Barella cross at the back post.
Milan’s only response to conceding early was a few dangerous moments from Rafael Leao that never coalesced into anything of substance. It was Inter that struck next, and it took until just the 21st minute for the good guys to double their lead via Edin Dzeko.
Inter continued to run Milan ragged for a few more minutes and came closest to adding a third when Dimarco let loose on a long-range effort that Tatarusanu managed to paw away. The Nerazzurri then decided to sit on its lead as halftime approached, allowing Milan to control 63% of the ball at the interval. The Rossoneri didn’t create much of anything, however, tallying just one shot on target from five attempts compared to Inter’s 9 total shots, 4 of which found Milan’s goal.
Milan came out of the break with a purpose, while Inter seemed content to lock up defensively. The Rossoneri continued building pressure but neither team could find any breakthroughs. Both coaches started ringing the changes around the hour mark, but it proved to be a moot point when Lautaro put the game to bed in the 77th minute.
The final stages of the game were a bit of a dead rubber, though they did feature Milan’s best chance of the half – a Rebic cross that inadvertently ended up bouncing off the crossbar. That was the story of the Rossoneri’s night – despite holding 66% of possession it managed just 14 shots, 3 on target, compared to Inter’s 12 efforts (6 on frame). It was a deserved victory and scoreline for the Nerazzurri, who proved themselves to be far superior to their city rivals on the day and got a trophy lift as a reward.
Dimarco (10′) , Dzeko (21′) , Martinez (77′)
