Inter beat Napoli beautifully with Khvicha. All scoring attacks are masterpieces!

Inter beat Napoli beautifully with Khvicha. All scoring attacks are masterpieces!

Anatoly Romanov December 4, 2023, 01:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.

Neither a change of coach nor a Georgian winger can save the Italian champion.

Napoli are increasingly further away from defending their title. On matchday 14 of Serie A, the Neapolitans lost at home to Inter.

The reigning Italian champions needed to beat the last Champions League finalist at home to stay in the fight for the Scudetto. Before the head-to-head matchup, Napoli was eight points behind Inter. 13 rounds is too much. The Neapolitans started the match with great boldness and aggressiveness; Elmas would have scored in the second minute if it weren’t for goalkeeper Sommer’s great save. This moment made me think once again about the brilliant transfer move the Milan Club made in the summer transfer window. While Onana foams at Manchester United, the Swiss increases his rating at Inter.

Simone Inzaghi’s team waited until the initial emotions of Walter Mazzarri’s team had calmed down, survived the early loss of the centre-back (de Vrij played only 15 minutes, after which he grabbed his thigh and left the field), and then responded with a goal of his. own. Thuram and Martínez played a great wall. But, unfortunately for the Nerazzurri, the goal was disallowed because the Frenchman’s shoulder (!) was offside. The match continued lively, with good intensity, although they lacked scoring opportunities. In the first half, Napoli made almost twice as many passes in the middle zone and almost one and a half times in the opponent’s third, and only managed to get Politano to hit the crossbar after a long shot.

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Inter lost in shots (5:8), but not in shots on goal (2:2). Inzaghi’s team withstood the pressure on the flanks, from where they received three passes from Politano and Kvaratskhelia (while Khvicha did not touch the ball in the opponent’s area in the 45th minute), and scored thanks to the wider positions of their wide players in 3-5-2 formation. Dimarco developed an attack on the left, Dumfries continued on the right, the Napoli defense stretched and Calhanoglu coolly shot from outside the area. Thanks to a goal before the break, Inter won the half.

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After the break, Napoli pressed, trying to maximize the speed of the ball. At Inter, everyone worked in two-man defense, and after an hour of play, the best in number of duels and tackles was… Mkhitaryan. Heinrich maintains the highest standard. It was then that a controversial episode occurred in the Nerazzurri area. Osimhen fell after a duel with Acerbi, there was contact on the legs, but the question is how long the penalty took. The referee did not call a penalty, the VAR supported it. That episode continued with the ball finally hitting Khvicha’s feet in the penalty area, but after the Georgian winger’s shot, Sommer made another brilliant save.

If they don’t score against Inter, Inter will score. Inzaghi’s team is excellent at taking advantage of space and punishing mistakes. The Nerazzurri’s second scoring attack began thanks to a failed rebound by Politano for the hosts, and then Barella produced a true masterpiece. Centrhav slalomed through the middle, beat two Napoli defenders and completed his solo effort with a goal. A first for me this Serie A season.

After that, Napoli had half an hour left to save a tie or a true miracle with a super determined victory. But that night Sommer was simply unbeatable. The Swiss kept shooting, even when Osimhen headed in from close range from offside! And in the end Inter turned their victory into a great one. Inzaghi’s team made a beautiful attack with many passes, turned from left to right and Dumfries finished a cross directly to the goalkeeper, to Thuram.

Napoli was defeated by a difference of three goals, even taking more shots than Inter – 15:11 (on goal – 4:4, from the penalty area – 10:7).