Inter close curtain on season with Udinese hammering

Inter close curtain on season with Udinese hammering

Date: 23rd May 2021 at 5:02pm
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STADIO GIUSEPPE MEAZZA (Milan) – Inter earned their 16th straight win at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza by beating Udinese 5-1 in Serie A’s final round, closing the curtain on a Scudetto-winning season before lifting the trophy and going on to celebrate with the fans who had been gathered outside the stadium since the morning.

Ashley Young broke the deadlock in the opening minutes, but it was in the second half that the hosts rounded off the scoring – with Christian Eriksen (first half), Lautaro Martinez, Ivan Perisic and Romelu Lukaku all netting – before Roberto Pereyra netted a consolation goal for the visitors from the penalty spot.

As was the case in the Nerazzurri’s latest outings, except for their loss at Juventus, Antonio Conte continued to rotate the squad, giving Andrea Pinamonti his first start of the season.

In a festive atmosphere, courtesy of the 1,000 fans allowed in for the occasion, it took Inter just eight minutes to take the lead, as Lautaro Martinez was free to control a pass by Young and turn, only for his deflected shot to end up in the path of the Englishman, who did well to beat Juan Musso with a smart lob.

The hots didn’t seem to feel the urgency to double their lead, as their slow ball circulation was not enough to catch a combative and careful Udinese by surprise. However, the visitors’ goalkeeper was left hopeless when Christian Eriksen, who had replaced injured Stefano Sensi, took a free-kick which was deflected by Stefano Okaka into the back of the net seconds before the break.

The Bianconeri seemed less solid and focused after the interval, paving the way for Inter’s third as Achraf Hakimi was grounded by Marvin Zeegelaar, gifting Lautaro with the chance to convert from the spot and bag his 17th Serie A goal of the season.

Daniele Padelli, Ivan Perisic and Romelu Lukaku came off the bench and showed great desire to take part in the celebrations, as proved by the Croat, who made it 4-0 with an excellent curled effort after picking up a pass by Matias Vecino.

The Belgian star then made the most of a fortuitous chance to put his name on the scoresheet, as the ball bounced off his body and into the net after an Alexis Sanchez cross had hit the upright. Udinese were awarded a penalty following a VAR check 10 minutes from time, as Pereyra made no mistake and sent Padelli the other way.

 

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