Inter defender Francesco Acerbi more than had his part to play in yesterday’s 2-0 win over AC Milan.
This is the view in today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, via FCInterNews, who praise the 35-year-old for negating the influence of Rossoneri striker Olivier Giroud in the Champions League semifinal first leg clash.
Giroud was always likely to be a key player for Milan yesterday evening.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea striker is a real reference point for Stefano Pioli’s side in attack.
Particularly with the pace and skill of Rafael Leao absent through injury, Milan needed the Frenchman to build their attack around.
The World Cup winner’s quality is beyond doubt, and he has proven troublesome for Inter in the past.
Last February, Giroud scored a quickfire brace in a 2-1 derby win which proved the turning point in the Scudetto race.
However, yesterday evening on the biggest stage, the Frenchman proved ineffective.
The reason for this, Tuttosport argues, largely comes down to the job that Francesco Acerbi did on him.
The 35-year-old has been a reliable presence at the heart of Inter’s backline all season since joining on loan from Lazio.
Yesterday evening, Acerbi proved it once again.
The veteran defender’s positioning was spot-on, whilst he was more than a match for Giroud with his physicality.
With Giroud largely out of the picture, Inter managed to keep a vital clean sheet for the second leg.
Alessandro Bastoni’s display also highlighted
Acerbi wasn’t the only Inter defender who Tuttosport gave significant praise to.
Fellow Italian international Alessandro Bastoni also came in for special praise from the newspaper.
The 23-year-old’s defensive performance was no less rugged than that of Acerbi.
And, on the other side of the ball, Bastoni also showed the same influence he always does.
Whilst the defender didn’t register an assist, his passing and ball-carrying helped set an aggressive tempo.