After winning the Italian Super Cup, Inter was brought back to earth when Empoli defeated them 1-0 at the San Siro.
After destroying rivals and champions AC Milan 3-0 in Saudi Arabia the previous week, Simone Inzaghi’s team appeared to be in for a strong second half of the season. However, the Nerazzurri’s return to Serie A action on Monday saw them completely out of sorts and defeated by a goal from a teenager named Tommaso Baldanzi after Inter defender Milan Skriniar was sent off in the first half.
Due to Juventus’ points deduction, losses like these may not now cost Nerazzuri in the fight for Champions League qualification, but any remote title hopes appear to have been swiftly put to rest.
The hosts’ erratic first half was summed up by Skriniar’s dismissal. After Andre Onana’s dubious save from Nicolo Cambiaghi, Henrikh Mkhitaryan narrowly avoided punishment from the ensuing corner when his high boot caught Francesco Caputo’s head.
Caputo carried on while wearing a bandage, and Inter’s only real threat came from Federico Dimarco, who saw a volley well saved and also set up Lautaro Martinez for an awkward wide shot.
The second Inter player to kick Caputo in the head was Skriniar, who had already received a caution. This time, referee Antonio Rapuano saw the foul, which resulted in Skriniar’s dismissal.
After the break, Inter made very little progress and fell behind when Onana, whose shaky performance had included yet another odd stop, was outmuscled by a shot that was directly at him from Baldanzi.
In a frustrating conclusion, Inter proved as uninspired in attack as they were hopeless at the back. De Vrij headed against the post from within the six-yard box. Empoli climbs 4 spots to 9th position while Inter stays in 3rd place in the standings.
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