Lautaro Martínez Brace Ensures Inter on Tail of Frontrunners
Inter forward Lautaro Martínez scored a second-half double to earn his team a 2-0 victory at Pisa, keeping the visitors firmly involved in the Serie A championship battle in spite of a less than convincing display.
League Table Update
Under manager Cristian Chivu, Inter currently sit in third position in the table with 27 points, tied with runner-up Roma and only one point adrift of table-toppers Milan. In contrast, Pisa occupy the third bottom position with 10 points.
Game Recap
Inter arrived in Tuscany aiming to return to winning ways after suffering a derby defeat by Milan recently, 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 generated plenty of chances, but a efficient Inter scored the opener in the 69th minute mark when Argentine Martínez drilled a one-time shot into the roof of the net. The forward then tapped in from point-blank with seven minutes remaining.
The team’s ability to score despite pressure proved decisive in earning the victory.
Additional Continental Matches
Across in Spain, Real Sociedad staged a thrilling comeback from 2-0 down to level at home against Villarreal, only to succumb to a late strike five minutes into added time. Villarreal’s scoring came from Ayoze Pérez just after the 30-minute 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. Yet, Moleiro delivered the final say late in stoppage time.
Later on La Liga fixture, Real Madrid travel to Girona needing a win to go back to the summit ahead of Barcelona, who secured a 3-1 win over Alavés on the previous day.
- Inter stay in tight pursuit for the Italian crown.
- Martínez demonstrated his worth with a match-winning display.
- The battle for first continues with multiple teams competing.