STADIO ARTEMIO FRANCHI (Florence) – It was another case of what might have been for Inter and Romelu Lukaku on Sunday evening as they lost their lead late to leave Florence with no more than a point despite dominating against Fiorentina.
Borja Valero struck early against his former club and he looked to have done enough to seal the points.
Lukaku had chances for the Nerazzurri but, just like against Barcelona, they passed him by and Dusan Vlahovic made him pay late on.
Inter are now sit locked with Juventus on 39 points and while the current table shows them ahead, if the season ended today the title would be Juve’s due to their superior head-to-head record, though that isn’t shown until after the second meeting.
It ended in drama at the Stadio Artemio Franchi as Fiorentina avoided a fifth consecutive defeat to draw with Inter and @ConJClancy is there for #FIFattheGames.
Report ? https://t.co/pp6obBkyV3#FiorentinaInter #SerieA pic.twitter.com/yKmx06IU4t
— ForzaItalianFootball (@SerieAFFC) December 15, 2019
Borja Valero runs the Franchi
You could be forgiven if you fell into the trap of thinking that 2016 is fast approaching and not 2020 as Borja Valero dictated proceedings at the Artemio Franchi again, something that had been a regular sight for La Viola fans until he left the club for Inter in 2017.
But Borja never wanted to leave Florence and he’s made that clear since, which will make the whistles he endured on Sunday – though there weren’t many – quite hard for him to swallow.
The Spaniard netted his first Serie A goal in 588 days and became the oldest midfielder to find the target this season, but that was just the beginning of his night.
He took the goal excellently too. A clever shift inwards put Nikola Milenkovic on his wrong foot before he sent Bartlomej Dragowski the wrong way and tucked the ball into the near post. His celebration, or lack thereof, showed just how much affection he still holds for the city and club he used to call home, raising apologetic hands to the silenced Curva Fiesole.
From then on the game was his. He had more touches than anyone in the first half and was always able to find space.
When he had the ball his footwork was silky and swift, playing with a swagger that Inter fans haven’t seen enough of.
His best moment came in the second half when a quick dummy bought him space on the left wing and once he went off the game unravelled for Antonio Conte’s side.
Inter’s midfield is makeshift at best at the moment, but Borja was the glue that kept the pieces together on Sunday.
Fiorentina got a point, but Montella needs more
Vincenzo Montella is walking on thin ice at Fiorentina and a loss against Roma on Friday could still see him without panettone this Christmas, but Vlahovic’s leveller might have afforded him some breathing room.
“This result means a lot for us,” he said at his post-match press conference. “We had a good game and it would have been too much for us to lose this match.
“I send my congratulations to the whole team. We have to play with this spirit every week.”
But little has been seen that suggests they can maintain a high level every week and the overall trend of the game, and indeed the season, can’t be overlooked.
La Viola were two minutes away from a fifth-straight loss, which would have been just the third time in their history they’ve suffered so many losses in a row and the second since Montella returned to the bench last season.
They’re still without a win in six and with Franck Ribery sidelined for a matter of months, something big needs to change at the club or they could well find themselves suddenly battling against relegation in the final weeks of the season again.
