With a header in the second half from substitute Marko Arnautovic, Inter Milan defeated 2-1 Fiorentina at home on Monday, staying within striking distance of Serie A leaders Napoli.
Inter Closes Gap to Napoli in Serie A Title Race
Second-place Inter, who now have 54 points and are only one point behind Napoli, benefited greatly from the victory.
The second-shortest gap in league history happened when Inter hosted Fiorentina just four days after their last Serie A match. Last Thursday’s match ended in a 3-0 victory for Fiorentina, who had been suspended in the 17th minute on December 1 after midfielder Edoardo Bove passed out on the pitch due to a cardiac arrest.
Inter Dominance and Early Chances
Inter dominated most of the game and pushed forward early, creating multiple chances. Within minutes of one another, Carlos Augusto and Lautaro Martinez both rattled the woodwork.
Inter’s attacking prowess was on full display. Still, their momentum was briefly halted when striker Marcus Thuram, who had been limping for several minutes, was forced off and replaced by Arnautovic.
We sacrifice a lot, and we have to show it on the pitch. We gained three important points today, bringing us closer to Napoli, but the season is far from over, Arnautovic told DAZN.
Pongracic Own Goal Breaks the Deadlock
Even though Inter controlled the play, Marin Pongracic of Fiorentina only managed to break the tie with an own goal in the 28th minute after heading the ball into his own net from a corner.
A minute before halftime, Rolando Mandragora scored from the penalty spot after Matteo Darmian handled a cross, giving the visitors the equaliser.
Seven minutes after the restart, Arnautovic secured all three points by putting Inter ahead again with a close-range finish off a cross from Augusto.
Augusto Reflects on Inter-Redemption
Augusto admitted that the victory was important following his poor performance in the previous match against Fiorentina.
There was anger because we weren’t ourselves in Florence it’s normal to be criticised, but today we demonstrated our strength again, he said.
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