Fiorentina stunned Inter at San Siro with a narrow 1-0 win. The only goal was scored by ex-Milan player Bonaventura,
From their 1-0 loss to Juventus before the break, Simone Inzaghi made four changes. De Vrij was replaced by Bastoni in the centre of defence, and Federico Dimarco was replaced by Gosens at wing-back due to an injury to the Italian. Hakan Calhanoglu was also hurt, so Mkhitaryan moved to central midfield, and Correa took Martinez’s place up front.
Italiano made five adjustments for Fiorentina after his team’s victory over Lecce earlier this season. Quarta took over for Milenkovic in defence, and Ambrabat replaced Bonaventura in central midfield. Gonzalez, Kouame, and Barak were placed on the sidelines in favour of Ikone, Castrovilli, and Cabral, who started in the forward line.
Fiorentina wins a corner after Ikone’s shot was deflected wide in a hectic opening to this match. From the corner, Inter tried to make a move, but the opposition won it back, and Bonaventura missed his long-range shot.
In the Inter box, Ikone sent a precise pass to Cabral, but the Fiorentina striker was unable to execute a daring overhead kick, and the ball went wide.
The first significant stop came from Onana, who stopped Castrovilli’s well-hit volley from Biraghi’s cross. There was a scramble in front of the goal, but the home team cleared it for a corner.
It was end-to-end action, and Mkhitaryan gave Inter a golden opportunity. The midfielder outmuscled the Dodo as he turned away and sprinted in alone on goal. Instead of passing it to Lukaku, he shot directly at Terracciano and then attempted an overhead kick that hit the side netting.
This time, after a Dumfries and Lukaku combination, the Belgian received the ball, but Lukaku was unable to create enough space for a shot, and Fiorentina were able to end the chance.
Castrovilli was outmuscled by Lukaku down the left channel, but Castrovilli recovered well to deflect the Inter striker’s shot behind the net for a corner.
Saponara made a spectacular dribble into the box, but his errant shot was blocked and missed to the other side. Ikone attempted to swipe the ball in the goal but failed. Despite being a little out of balance, the Fiorentina forward ought to have performed better.
Inter attempted a left-side attack, but Correa’s low cross was unsuccessful in finding an Inter player, and Fiorentina eventually succeeded in clearing the ball away.
The home team got off to a quick start as captain Brozovic whipped in a tempting ball that Gosens met, but his volley missed the crossbar by a considerable margin.
Fiorentina responded with a strong effort of their own, and Onana remained motionless as Castrovilli’s magnificent curling attempt drifted just inches past the goal post. For the opposition, a huge opportunity.
Correa found Bastoni on the left side in a fantastic play. When Lukaku had the goal at his disposal, the marauding centre back squared the ball across past Terracciano. The chance was lost when the Belgian mysteriously failed to divert it on target.
Only a few minutes later, Lukaku missed, and Inter paid the price from the corner. Onana did well to block Cabral’s flick at the near post, but he was powerless to stop Bonaventura, who was waiting to nod in on the rebound. A significant goal by the former Milan midfielder.
unleashed Barella came so close to hitting the bar, but he fell just short. The Italian midfielder unleashed an intimidating strike from the edge of the box after the ball broke loose, free kick, free kick. Despite Terracciano being severely damaged, Fiorentina was saved by the crossbar.
With a well-executed manoeuvre, Fiorentina nearly doubled their advantage, but Ikone’s curling attempt with Onana at full stretch missed the post by a whisker. Terracciano’s punch nearly put the ball in the back of the net for Inter, but Dzeko was offside during the buildup, giving the opposition a free kick.
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