Lautaro Martínez Brace Keeps Inter Milan on Tail of Frontrunners
Inter striker Lautaro Martínez scored a second-half brace to secure his team a 2-0 win at Pisa, ensuring the away side very much involved in the Italian league title race in spite of a less than convincing performance.
Standings Update
Led by manager Cristian Chivu, Inter now are placed third in the table with 27 points total, level with runner-up Roma and just one point adrift of table-toppers Milan. In contrast, Pisa occupy the 18th spot with 10 points.
Match Summary
Inter traveled in Tuscany aiming to get back on track after enduring a loss to rivals by Milan last weekend, followed by a Champions League loss at Atlético Madrid. Nonetheless, they were forced to fight all the way by newly-promoted Pisa. The home team created numerous chances, but a clinical Inter broke the deadlock in the 69th minute when Argentinian Martínez smacked a one-time shot into the top of the net. The forward then finished from point-blank seven minutes from time.
The team’s capacity to score even with pressure proved decisive in earning the victory.
Additional European Action
Across in Spain, the Basque side mounted a dramatic fightback from 2-0 down to level at home against Villarreal, only to lose to a goal five minutes into added time. The visitors’ scoring came from Ayoze Pérez just after the 30-minute mark and Alberto Moleiro in the 57th minute, but Carlos Soler soon reduced the deficit and Ander Barrenetxea leveled the score three minutes from time. However, Moleiro had the last word deep into stoppage time.
In the late Spanish match, Real Madrid journey to Girona requiring a win to return to the summit ahead of Barcelona, who secured a 3-1 win over Alavés on the previous day.
- Inter remain in tight pursuit for the Italian title.
- Martínez demonstrated his value with a match-winning display.
- The battle for first goes on with multiple teams in the mix.
