Tottenham have won the 2018 International Champions Cup over Inter on goal difference, after the Nerazzurri could ‘only’ defeat Atletico Madrid by a 1-0 scoreline.
Luciano Spalletti will have been very pleased with what he saw, though, as the real objective was to warm up for next weekend’s Serie A kick-off.
Inter were the more dangerous team for the majority of the first half, with Mauro Icardi forcing Jan Oblak into a stunning close-range save in the 11th minute before Lautaro Martinez gave the Slovenian no chance with a powerful karate-kick of a volley at the far post in the 31st minute.
Lautaro Martinez scores against Atlético. This kid’s really struggling to get used to European football, right? pic.twitter.com/2LY8k3vVgh
— Daniel Edwards ???? (@DanEdwardsGoal) August 11, 2018
Atletico’s Angel Correa had the ball in the back of the net in the 43rd tick of the clock, but what he thought was the equaliser was ruled out by VAR for offside.
Atletico were improved after the interval, probably after some choice words from Diego Simeone, and came close via Diego Costa’s head and Juanfran’s right boot, but Inter defended their 1-0 lead in a manner that their opponents would have been proud of.
They didn’t allow Los Rojiblancos any shots on target until a Vitolo header in the 89th minute, which Samir Handanovic spectacularly saved.
1 – Inter have conceded just one goal in the #ICC2018, fewer than any other side in this competition. Well-organized.#AtletiInter
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) August 11, 2018
NO FRIENDLIES FOR COSTA
Diego Costa has won a lot in his career, from league titles to European trophies, but he has never held the International Champions Cup and seemed determined to make a name for himself in the pre-season ‘competition’.
Only one Atletico player was booked at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday night and there are no prizes for guessing which feisty centre-forward it was.
He was shown a yellow card in the first half for protesting a refereeing decision, but that didn’t stop him from running hard and fighting for every ball during the rest of his time on the pitch.
?| FT @atletienglish 0-1 Inter
A superb strike from #Lautaro Martinez in the 31st minute was the difference!
Inter finish the 2018 @IntChampionsCup on 7 points, behind Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund on goal difference. #AtletiInter #InterOnTour #ICC2018 pic.twitter.com/mTubZ5SylK
— Inter (@Inter_en) August 11, 2018
INTER ATLETICO’ED ATLETICO
Inter supporters can be very proud of their side’s defensive display at the Estadio Wanda Metropoliano. At the home of the best defence in Europe, their back line was the one which hardly conceded an inch.
Atletico Madrid finished the match with 15 total shots, but just two of them were on target, highlighting how well they stood their ground in their own area.
