Inter overcame struggling Hellas Verona 1-0 at San Siro thanks to a strike from Lautaro Martinez. The Nerazzurri's in-form Argentine forward scored early to secure the narrow victory, moving them level on points with third-placed Juventus in Serie A, despite the collective effort being far from convincing.
Since his country's World Cup victory, Martinez has scored three times in four outings, bringing his league total for the year to nine goals. In the meantime, Inter kept their unbeaten streak in the top division alive by defeating Verona at home, where they have won their past eight contests.
After Henrikh Mkhitaryan's darting run into the Verona penalty area, Inter took the lead just three minutes in when Martinez calmly guided the loose ball into the far corner.
No team in Serie A has scored more goals in the first half than Inter this year, and they tried to build on it when Martinez headed Roberto Gagliardini's cross straight at Lorenzo Montipo.
Just before halftime, the hosts appealed for a penalty, but referee Michael Fabbri rejected their request despite the fact that Fabio Depaoli appeared to use his arm to divert Mkhitaryan's strike behind.
When Martinez skillfully ducked the ball over Montipo in the 63rd minute, Inter thought they had doubled their lead. However, the goal was disallowed because Pawel had been fouled earlier.
Since a 1-0 victory in February 1992, Verona had lost their previous 22 matches against Inter. With 20 minutes left, Sulemana's low shot from a tight angle forced Andre Onana to make a save. Kristjan Asllani, a substitute, nearly sealed the outcome with a magnificent long-range shot, but the hosts' first goal from Martinez was sufficient.
INTER CONTINUE TO RULE OVER VERONA
Even though Inter's victory was not particularly noteworthy, it was crucial for the Nerazzurri as they kept up the pressure on their title rivals, currently trailing Milan by just one point.
Additionally, they have won all 32 of their league home matches against Verona, who are still six points from safety.
MARTINEZ, THE CURRENT STAR
Martinez is still riding high after helping Argentina win the World Cup just four weeks ago.
The only player with more Serie A goals this season than the 25-year-old Martinez, whose goal came from a game-high three shots, is Napoli's Victor Osimhen (12). Martinez also drew the most fouls during the match (four).
DZEKO IS NOT HAPPY.
Dzeko remembers playing Verona with joy. He has scored four goals against the Gialloblu, who were the opposition in August 2015 when he made his Serie A debut for Roma.
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