Lautaro Martínez Brace Ensures Inter on Tail of Frontrunners
Inter forward Lautaro Martínez netted a late double to earn his team a 2-0 win at Pisa, ensuring the away side firmly engaged in the Serie A title race in spite of a less than convincing performance.
League Table Overview
Under manager Cristian Chivu, Inter currently sit in third position in the table with 27 points, tied with second-placed Roma and just one point adrift of table-toppers Milan. In contrast, Pisa hold the 18th spot with 10 points.
Game Summary
Inter arrived in Tuscany looking to return to winning ways after enduring a derby defeat by Milan recently, which was followed by a Champions League loss at Atlético Madrid. Nonetheless, they were made to battle all the way by newly-promoted Pisa. The hosts generated numerous chances, but a clinical Inter broke the deadlock in the 69th minute mark when Argentinian Martínez smacked a one-time shot into the roof of the net. The forward then tapped in from point-blank with seven minutes remaining.
Inter’s capacity to score despite difficult circumstances was decisive in earning the victory.
Other Continental Action
In Spain, Real Sociedad staged a dramatic comeback from 2-0 down to equalize at home against Villarreal, only to lose to a late strike five minutes into stoppage time. The visitors’ scoring came from Ayoze Pérez just after the half-hour mark and Alberto Moleiro in the 57th minute, but Carlos Soler quickly reduced the deficit and Ander Barrenetxea leveled the score three minutes from time. However, Moleiro delivered the last word deep into stoppage time.
In the late La Liga match, Real Madrid journey to Girona needing a win to go back to the top ahead of Barcelona, who recorded a 3-1 win over Alavés on Saturday.
- The Nerazzurri stay in close pursuit for the Serie A crown.
- Martínez demonstrated his value with a match-winning performance.
- The battle for first goes on with several teams in the mix.
