No Lukaku, no Lautaro. Inter wins in Parma scoring between 83 ‘and 87’ with de Vrij (one of the worst) and Bastoni, who took over from Godin eighteen minutes from the end. Two out of three central defenders decide on their heads, just like the ones that Antonio Conte had changed for the game. To the forced substitution of Skriniar (disqualified for three days) the Inter coach added the alternation of Ranocchia (bad with Sassuolo) with D’Ambrosio (in turn guilty on Gervinho’s lead).
To say that the victory is due to the changes of Conte, replaced on the bench by the deputy Cristian Stellini, would be excessive. Indeed, to write the truth, in its place I would never have chosen to change the defense by two thirds. Skriniar yes, but risking D’Ambrosio was a gamble.
In any case, everything is well that ends well. Juve remains eight points away and Lazio four, but Inter retains just as many against Atalanta, victorious in Udine. For the Champions Zone everything is decided (neither Rome nor Naples will undermine the top four), for the Scudetto, however, Inter keeps a faint hope. It is true that he lost the two direct clashes with Juve (so it is as if he were less than 9), but it is equally true that putting up matches like those of last night serves self-esteem and confidence.
Of course, to think that both Juventus and Lazio lose both points by giving them to Inter is utopian, but Conte believes in it and will believe it until math tells him otherwise. He would not have transferred a winning mentality to his teams if he had not thought so.
After that Inter would have deserved to lose in Parma because it did little and badly.
Nulli Lukaku and Lautaro, impalpable Eriksen (perhaps the worst in an absolute sense), the nerazzurri were dangerous in attack, already in the first half, always with a central defender, the much mistreated Godin. Four minutes after the Parmesan lead (Gervinho in the 15 ‘), Godin hit the head in the other area and Kurtic deflected with one hand making the ball end in a corner (otherwise it would have been a goal). At that point the referee Maresca, recalled by the Var, ran to the penalty spot to grant the penalty if it had not happened that, again from the Var, the Godin himself was signaled offside.
No rigor and lost opportunity. Almost the only one, given that the other came from an assist by Lukaku for Barella. The young midfielder’s shot ended by a whisker.
Parma, however, played a whole different music. He did it mostly on the counterattack, but what Cornelius did wrong after Gervinho’s hunt (amazing the first check with which he dissociates himself), shouts revenge in the presence of the sky. Before the 1-0 (on Kucka’s field change, D’Ambrosio lowers his head and Candreva, less guilty of him, makes himself dribble) was still Gervinho to put out of nothing from the center of the area.
Inter have been slow in the round-ball and predictable in the strikes. All this meant that Parma was better not only in the restart, but also in the choral approach. Formidable Kulusevski, but also Kucka who, however, is to blame for being expelled for protests on the occasion of Inter’s draw (from a corner, header by Lautaro and then by de Vrij).
Leaving your teammates in ten in the last seven minutes is a serious responsibility, even more so if your team, or Parma, he hadn’t known how to end the game before. Kulusevski took a lot of effort to do it, but at the start of the second half he pulled out a little, then called Handanovic to a prodigious rejection.
Inter, as mentioned, won with the changes. Moses, the author of the winning cross, had replaced Candreva (68 ‘). Bastoni, who headed the winning goal, took Godin’s place. Beyond the individual merits, it must be said that, in the second goal conceded, Parma put their own. In addition to conceding Moses’ cross, the defenders left Clubs completely free to strike.
Defeat hard to digest, but football – an unfair game – often goes like this.
THE TABLE
Parma-Inter 1-2 (first half 1-0)
Scorers: 15 ‘pt Gervinho (P), 38’ st De Vrij (I), 41 ‘st Bastoni (I)
Assist: 15’ p.t. Kucka (P), 41’ s.t. Moses (I)
Parma (4-3-3): Sepe; Gagliolo (1 ‘st Pezzella), Alves, Dermaku (31’ st Regini), Laurini; Kucka, Scozzarella (9 ‘st Hernani), Kurtic; Kulusevski, Cornelius, Gervinho. All. D’Aversa
Inter (3-4-1-2): Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, De Vrij, Godin (27 ‘st Bastoni); Biraghi (23 ‘st Young), Gagliardini, Barella, Candreva (23’ st Moses); Eriksen (23 ‘st Sanchez); Martinez (43 ‘st Borja Valero), Lukaku. All. Stellini
Referee: Fabio Maresca
Ammoniti: 27’ p.t. Martinez (I), 29’ p.t. Dermaku (P), 3’ s.t. Gagliardini (I), 3’ s.t. Kulusevski (P), 25’ s.t. Godin (I), 42’ s.t. Kurtic (P), 45’ s.t. Moses (I)
Espulse: 23 ‘st Bern (I), 39’ st Kucka (P)
