Inter Milan will have no one but themselves to blame for their floundering title hopes after an avoidable loss to Sampdoria on Wednesday, 6 January 2021.
Riding on the back of an impressive 6-2 win over Crotone, Inter Milan visited Sampdoria with high hopes. Despite being without their powerhouse Romelu Lukaku, the visitors started on a front foot.
In the opening 12 minutes, Inter Milan won a penalty that would have seen them go ahead early. However, former Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez failed to beat the keeper from the spot. It didn’t help that Ashley Young could also only hit the post after reaching the ball first.
In the 23rd minute, Sampdoria got their chance and former Inter Milan player Antonio Candreva converted his own spot kick. The visitors came out flying in search of an equaliser but it was Sampdoria who scored again.
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This time, another former Inter Milan player Keita Balde put is ex-club to the sword. In the second period, Inter’s search for a leveller continued. Stefan de Vrij managed to half the deficit from a Brozovic pass but it was the only goal they would celebrate during the game.
Desperate for an equaliser, Antonio Conte threw in Lukaku, Eriksen, and Perisic. Yet, Sampdoria remained resolute and saw out the game. The hosts weathered 11 shots (8 of which were on target).
? | ALL OVER!
A HUGE three points in the bag! The Blucerchiati beat Inter thanks to goals from former Nerazzurri men #Candreva and #Balde to move onto 20 points for the season.#SampInter 2?-1?#SerieATIM#FORZADORIA ?????? pic.twitter.com/yeRQIQCm3w
— Sampdoria English ? (@sampdoria_en) January 6, 2021
The loss means that AC Milan will stay atop the pile despite what the outcome will be against Juventus. Meanwhile, a win will see them extend their lead by four points. Juventus is currently placed 7th with one game in hand after their clash with Milan. If they win the leaders, Juventus will go 5th, one point below Napoli.
What concern me?
Nice one!
Poor performance from Inter, they will know how important Lukaku is now.