?Inter put aside the off-field controversy surrounding Mauro Icardi to defeat Sampdoria 2-1 on Sunday evening.
The early action was relentless, but it took until midway through the second-half for the teams to get on the scoresheet. Danilo D’Ambrosio opened the scoring for Inter after 70 minutes, but the lead lasted just moments before Manolo Gabbiadini cropped up in the box to find an equalising goal, silencing the rapturous home crowd.
Incredibly, Inter were able to regain their lead soon after. Sampdoria failed to clear a corner and Radja Nainggolan was on hand to fire home a strike from outside of the 18-yard box. What followed was a nervy final ten minutes for Inter, but they held strong and were able to come away with the victory.
Check out our breakdown of the game below.
INTER?
Key Talking Point
After a turbulent week which saw ?Icardi stripped of the captaincy at ?Inter, it was absolutely imperative that the Nerazzurri picked up a win to banish the dark clouds that were beginning to linger.
Once again, it wasn’t exactly a convincing display from Luciano Spalletti’s side but, on the balance of play, they were deserving of the win. Given the current circumstances, the importance of this result cannot be underestimated – especially as the likes of AC Milan are baring down on them in the ?Serie A table.
There are still a number of issues that need to be resolved before the end of the season – including how they are going to cope without Icardi – but they should have more than enough to retain their place in the Champions League spots.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Handanovic (6); D’Ambrosio (7), De Vrij (6), Skriniar (6), Dalbert (5); Gagliardini (5), Brozovic (6), Politano (6), Nainggolan (7), Perisic (7*); Martinez (5).
Substitutes: Joao Mario (6), Candreva (6), Vecino (N/A).
STAR MAN – Since being linked with a January move to Arsenal, ?Perisic’s form has dipped considerably, but he looked much more like his old self this time around.
PERISIC DID SOMETHING USEFUL TEARS IN MY EYES
— Siavoush Fallahi (@SiavoushF) February 17, 2019
THIS IS THE PERISIC THAT I REALLY WANNA SEE
— ? (@Edenczl) February 17, 2019
Didn’t even know perisic was capable of such things
— Mactarazzi23 ?? (@matrix190890) February 17, 2019
He worked tirelessly up and down the right flank all evening and was a constant thorn in the side of the Samporia defence. He orchestrated the opening goal in fine style and if it weren’t for his energy and drive then Inter may not have been able to come away with all three points.
SAMPDORIA?
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Audero (6), Bereszynski (5), Tonelli (7), Anderson (6), Murru (6); Praet (6), Ekdal (6), Linetty (5), Saponara (7); Defrel (5), Quagliarella (6).
Looking Ahead
Let’