Berardi brings Inter back down to earth

Published on: 19 August 2018

Despite a wave of enthusiasm brought on by some impressive summer signings, Inter got their Serie A campaign off on the wrong foot as they fell 1-0 to Sassuolo on  Sunday.

The key moment of the contest came in the 25th minute, as the Neroverdi were awarded a penalty – much to the chagrin of Luciano Spalletti’s men. Federico Di Francesco bolted through the Nerazzurri backline, forcing Miranda to grab him by the shirt.

Feeling the contact, the Sassuolo man went down in the area, and referee Maurizio Mariani had no doubt in pointing to the spot. Up stepped Domenico Berardi, and while Handanovic guessed the right way, it wasn’t enough to deny the Italian from opening the scoring.

Inter appealed for penalties later in the half after Mauro Icardi and Kwadwo Asamoah went down, but play continued as both sides headed off the field for half-time.

With his side down, Spalletti turned to Ivan Perisic to try and turn the tide, and while Inter looked more energetic going forward, they never quite hit their stride.

After Kevin-Prince Boateng’s shot caught some of the post, the Nerazzurri’s best chance of the night fell to Icardi. Perisic’s cross found the Argentine in stride from close range, but he skied his effort over the bar in disappointing fashion.

The introductions of Keita Balde and Yann Karamoh did little to change matters, though Andrea Consigli did well to stop a Stefan de Vrij header in the closing minutes to seal an impressive win for the home side.

Brozovic still in Russia

The Croatian was an influential figure for his national team this summer at the World Cup, and he looked in need of some rest on Sunday night. Most things in the midfield ran through him, but he made several simple errors when in possession.

Unfortunately it’s not likely to happen given Inter’s lack of creativity in midfield, meaning more will be needed from Brozovic next time out if the Nerazzurri are to get things back on track.

Duncan shines against his former employers

Having played for the Inter youth ranks from 2010 to 2012, Inter fans have long known about the Ghanaian. They were likely wishing he was still within their ranks during the course of the 90 minutes, as Duncan looked industrious and tidy for Sassuolo.

Now 25, it could finally be time for the midfielder to make that leap forward if he can deliver performances like Sunday’s on a regular basis. For now, the Neroverdi will just enjoy the three points Duncan helped bring home in impressive fashion.

Source: forzaitalianfootball.com

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