Inter Milan reaped the rewards for their capacity to dig in and “suffer” with their narrow 1-0 victory over Fiorentina yesterday.
This is the verdict in today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews.
Inter have played a lot of free-flowing football this season.
The Nerazzurri have produced dominant wins against the likes of Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana and Monza in Serie A recently.
And in their first meeting with Fiorentina, Inter had given one of the best demonstrations of their football. They beat La Viola by a 4-0 scoreline that hardly flattered their frenetic performance.
But it was always likely to be a different scenario at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
And so it proved. Inter could hardly have played a more different match than their first match against Fiorentina.
But the end result was the same – three important points for the Nerazzurri to take home.
Inter Reap Rewards Of Ability To “Suffer” To Beat Fiorentina
Inter did have a few counterattacks at the Franchi.
But the fluidity and precision that characterizes the Nerazzurri at their best wasn’t really present. The speed and intent was there, but the final ball wasn’t.
So it was a Lautaro Martinez header from a Kristjan Asllani corner that provided the decisive goal for Inter early in the first half. That was the one real moment of quality in attack.
But it was at the other end of the pitch that the real story played out.
Fiorentina pressed high up the pitch all match long.
And La Viola didn’t just dominate the ball for the sake of it. They insisted on playing at a high tempo, getting the ball in and around Inter’s penalty area at every opportunity and using their physicality.
But Inter held up to this onslaught.
There was block after block and clearance after clearance from Inter’s defenders.
Towards the end of the match, young midfileder Kristjan Asllani was showing his defensive tenacity far more than any quality in possession.
Inter had to grit their teeth for basically the entire second half. And bite their nails as Yann Sommer saved a penalty.
But in the end, the Nerazzurri proved that playing attractive football isn’t all they’re capable of.
Simone Inzaghi’s side also know how to suffer.