Inter beat Udinese 1-0 on a cold Saturday night at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Serie A, reacting in the best possible way to the early Champions League exit.
Sometimes all one needs is one goal to get the dirty results, and despite struggling more than expected, a Mauro Icardi penalty on 75 minutes got the job done in a very difficult match for the Nerazzurri.
A very balanced first half saw Inter in control and pushing forward, with Udinese trying to get the Nerazzurri on the break. A couple of weak Joao Mario shots, an Icardi header and a Keita Balde shot tipped over by Joao Musso was all that happened.
Udinese came out stronger in the second half, going close to scoring in three occasions early on, with Rolando Mandragora hitting their best chance over the bar.
Luciano Spalletti brought on Lautaro Martinez and Ivan Perisic to shake things up, and the best chance of the game came just after the hour, for the man who usually never misses – Icardi – but he somehow headed off target from close range.
Icardi made no mistake from the spot 10 minutes later though, lobbing Musso and firing home the winning goal when it mattered most, and giving the Nerazzurri all three points.
THE POST PSV TRAUMA
Yes, the Nerazzurri got the job done in the end, and that’s really all that matters. But Inter weren’t fluid for most of the game, lacking the spark to create real chances. Sure, Udinese are good at closing the spaces and locking up defence, but the Nerazzurri could and should have done more from the start. The result keeps them going, but they’ll need better performances in the near future.
WHERE’S RADJA?
The man bought in the summer to make a difference, and now sidelined with various injuries. Radja Nainggolan is the player Inter miss the most. They needed him against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday and could have done with his quality in the hole tonight. He came on in the final minutes to get some playing time, but the Belgian needs to get back to being fit as soon as possible.
THE NICOLA EFFECT
Since Davide Nicola took over at Udinese they have managed four points in four games, having played at Inter and at home against Roma. Changing coach seems to have been the right idea. They might not have gotten the best result at the Meazza, but the visitors showed solidity, conceded the bare minimum and played like a side that knows what it wants. Fundamental, if a team is fighting to avoid relegation as comfortably as possible. They deserved more tonight, and will get the points if they carry on like this.
