Inter Milan 0-0 AS Roma
Inter Milan missed their rare chance to build a nice cushion as they were held to a goalless draw against AS Roma in San Siro last night.
The draw ended the Nerazzuri’s five-game winning streak and this gives Juventus an opportunity to move ahead once more in the Serie A table should they win against Lazio.
The preview of this match predicted that there will be a lot of goals in this highly-anticipated match, which is why it was a shocker when neither team scored at least once.
Inter Milan were favoured in this match based on our pre-game Serie A 2019 odds, especially when their star striker Edin Dzeko was suffering a lingering illness. But once again, Paulo Fonseca’s men have stepped up to the challenge to fill the void.
The buildup of this match was marred by controversy when Corriere dello Sport released a distasteful headline that irked the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Chris Smalling. The Italian publication put the said players in the cover with the big words “Black Friday” placed at the front.
But even with that, this game wasn’t short of our usual dose of Serie A 2019 highlights. And SBOBET is here to give you the match’s recap.
Highlights of the game
Several key players were late scratches in this match for I Giallorossi, which left team manager Paulo Fonseca to dig deep into his bag of tricks. Veteran goalkeeper Antonio Mirante saw his first action of the season replacing Pau Lopez, and he clearly didn’t disappoint.
The 36-year-old goalkeeper produced a great save in the seventh minute when Romelu Lukaku was wide open inside the box. He knocked away a low, short-range strike for I Giallorossi.
Seconds later, Inter Milan were denied again when Lautaro Martinez overcooked his sliding kick after a beautiful cross by his teammate.
AS Roma were pretty much in control for the majority of the first half with their steady pace. Zaniolo and Pellegrini were the recipients of multiple volleys from the wing, but they failed to capitalise.
One of the closest chances that Roma had is when Nicolo Zaniolo received the ball in the 19th minute, but his stinger of an attempt was blocked by Samir Handanovic.
Inter had trouble all night of guarding Nicolo Zaniolo. The 20-year-old provided some encouraging sequences by using his size, strength, and quickness in bursting through Inter’s compact defence.
I Giallorossi nearly dug their own grave in the first half after a couple of silly miscues. Jordan Veretout made a lazy pass that forced Antonio Mirante into a great save. Then a few minutes later, Mirante’s clearance played right into Romelu Lukaku for a great chance.
Inter Milan came out more decisive and organised in the second half by testing Mirante on different occasions. But during the latter stages of the game, the Nerazzurri couldn’t generate much on their attack.
Paulo Fonseca would try to counter by bringing in Edin Dzeko for Diego Perotti. However, the Bosnian striker failed to make a significant impact on his time at the pitch.
Like Inter, I Giallorossi couldn’t create chances for themselves on the attack. It was a good thing for them that their defence fared pretty well.
Amadou Diawara should be commended for his effort during the match. The 22-year-old was seemingly always at the right place and at the right time. He would help shore up AS Roma’s defence by disrupting passing lines especially when guys like Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez are dashing over their backline.
While this game wasn’t a cracker that most would expect, this was indeed a showcase of wares on the defence for both sides. While Inter Milan had more chances, most of those came from AS Roma’s blunders.
Key statistics
It was a defensive struggle for both sides as they only managed to generate two shots on target each. Inter Milan had nine shots overall compared to six by AS Roma.
The Nerazzurri had 12 fouls called and three yellow cards while I Giallorossi had 11 fouls called and one yellow card.
This marks as their fourth straight meeting that ended in a draw in Serie A.
What’s next?
Inter Milan will have a few days to rest in San Siro before they welcome their powerhouse visitors, Barcelona, for their last Champions League group stage match. Soon after, the Nerazzurri will fly over to the Stadio Artemio Franchi to meet with Fiorentina in their next Serie A match.
Meanwhile, AS Roma lock horns with Wolfsberg in the Europa League group stage and they’ll host the struggling SPAL next week.
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