Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and wingback Federico Dimarco have earned plaudits as Inter Milan’s two best performers in yesterday evening’s 1-0 Serie A win over Empoli.
Today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, give the pair both 7/10 scores in the player ratings for the match at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.
Inter were not quite at their best in yesterday evening’s win over Empoli.
After scoring two or more goals in each of their first four Serie A matches, the Nerazzurri put just one past a team who had conceded seven times against Roma the previous weekend.
And the scorer of that crucial goal was wingback Dimarco. The 25-year-old showed great technical skill to find the back of the net with a long-range volley.
For the Gazzetta, Dimarco was Inter’s man of the match considering his decisive goal to unlock the match.
Calhanoglu & Dimarco Inter’s Top Performers Empoli – Lautaro Not Up To Par
But the Gazzetta doesn’t stop at praising Dimarco.
The newspaper also award the same score to midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu.
The former AC Milan midfielder was back from a minor injury yesterday, and looked fresher than ever. Calhanoglu may not have found the back of the net, but did just about everything else.
The 29-year-old was at the heart of everything Inter did both in and out of possession. As has become normal for him, he dictated the tempo of the match.
On the other hand, one Inter player who was not up to par was captain Lautaro Martinez.
The 26-year-old had gotten off to a blazing start to the season, scoring six goals across all competitions so far this season.
But for the Gazzetta, Martinez showed clear signs of tiredness yesterday afternoon. He looked like a shadow of himself, lagging behind play, taking a few poor touches, and never really putting Etrit Berisha’s goal under threat.
The Gazzetta give Martinez a score of just 5.5/10 for his performance.