Inter Milan claimed a crucial 1-0 victory over Venezia at home, closing in on Serie A leaders Napoli with just a single point now separating the two teams.
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Simone Inzaghi’s side, heavily favored pre-match, struggled to dominate as expected. Inter’s performance was lackluster in the first half, and they nearly paid the price for underestimating their opponents.
Yann Sommer’s heroics in goal and a timely intervention from VAR ultimately proved decisive.
The hosts were caught off guard by Venezia’s resilience early on. Henrikh Mkhitaryan missed a clear-cut chance to open the scoring in the 35th minute, with Venezia goalkeeper Filip Stankovic making an impressive save to keep the game level.
Venezia then almost seized the initiative just before halftime, but Sommer made a phenomenal stop to deny Gaetano Oristanio from point-blank range, ensuring Inter reached the interval on level terms.
Inter thought they had taken the lead early in the second half when Mkhitaryan found the net, only for VAR to rule the goal offside in the build-up.
Not long after, Lautaro Martinez finally broke the deadlock, nodding home a well-placed cross from Federico Dimarco in the 67th minute.
Although Inter created additional opportunities to extend their lead, Marcus Thuram squandered two promising chances, leaving the door open for a potential Venezia comeback.
In the dying moments, a dramatic twist unfolded as Yann Bisseck’s own goal appeared to hand Venezia a shocking equalizer.
However, after a VAR review, the goal was overturned for a foul, allowing Inter to escape with all three points. Below are our player ratings from this nail-biting fixture:
Inter (3-5-2) Player Ratings:
Yann Sommer – 8
Sommer’s crucial saves, especially against Oristanio and Pohjanpalo, were instrumental in securing Inter’s victory.
Alessandro Bastoni – 6.5
Bastoni had a few lapses, particularly in marking Oristanio, but improved after the break before an injury forced his exit.
Stefan de Vrij – 6.5
An unconvincing showing from the veteran, allowing Pohjanpalo too much space on multiple occasions.
Benjamin Pavard – 7
Nearly flawless aside from one minor lapse that led to a Venezia chance, the Frenchman was solid throughout.
Federico Dimarco – 7.5
Delivered a perfect assist for Martinez’s goal, capping off a strong offensive display down the flank.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6
Missed a big chance but showed flashes of quality, scoring a goal that was later disallowed by VAR.
Piotr Zielinski – 6.5
Kept possession well and distributed effectively but wasn’t a direct threat on goal.
Nicolo Barella – 6
Had an average outing, primarily opting for safer passes rather than creative play.
Denzel Dumfries – 6.5
Made several runs down the wing but struggled to deliver precise crosses or create scoring opportunities.
Marcus Thuram – 5.5
Uncharacteristically wasteful, missing two excellent chances to extend Inter’s lead.
Lautaro Martinez – 7
After a quiet start, Martinez stepped up to score the decisive goal, delivering when Inter needed him most.
Substitutes:
- Mehdi Taremi – 5.5
- Yann Bisseck – 6.5
- Hakan Calhanoglu – 7
- Matteo Darmian – 6
- Davide Frattesi – N/A
Inter’s narrow win brought them within striking distance of Napoli, though the team will need to improve on recent performances to sustain their title push.
