Inter Milan Edges 10-man Napoli in Supercoppa Italiana in Stoppage Time
For the third straight year, and the eighth time in the club's existence, Inter Milan is going to be hoisting the Italian Super Cup. In a game where we saw seven yellow caution cards being displayed, and one red card being given out, this finale was nothing short of exciting. The win for Inter Milan will carry them through as champions thanks to Lautaro Martinez’s stoppage-time winner in the 91st minute of play. A ball that came across the middle of the penalty area from French star Benjamin Pavard sat nicely for the Argentinian forward, who slotted it home past Pierluigi Gollini of Napoli. Throughout this clash, Napoli was seen back against the wall after Giovanni Simeone received just his second yellow card in five minutes of action. With that red card being dispensed, Inter Milan was on the attack against 10-man Napoli for the last half hour of play. With chance after chance, it needed to reach stoppage time where Internazionale found the back of the net.
Napoli and Inter Milan entered today previously recording both 3-0 wins in their respective semi-final match. Napoli executed the counterattack well after taking care of Fiorentina last Thursday. On the other hand, Inter Milan posted their 3-0 shutout victory over Lazio, a well-respected rival of the Milan side. In the first batch of minutes tonight, both teams were comfortable feeling one another out in this highly anticipated match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As time went on, Inter Milan was growing more and more comfortable in their shoes, pressing the Napoli defense who had been inconsistent this first half of the season. With chances not being taken with technique in the first half for Marcus Thuram, at the break Inter Milan wanted to come out with more pace to their play. In doing so Inter Milan then got on the front foot in the second half, dominating the midfield which led to major opportunities for the Nerazzurri.
With the departure of manager Rudi Garcia in November of 2023, Napoli has not seemed to be getting back on track in terms of the league standings, as well as domestic cups. With questions arising for new coach Walter Mazzarri, Napoli look to remain competitive in the Serie A, while currently sitting in 9th position. A cause for concern for the Napoletans would be Victor Osimhen’s commitment to the squad, as he was unavailable today due to international duty for his home country of Nigeria in the African Cup of Nations. With Giovanni Simeone being the target man up front today for Napoli, he received the exit from the game which caused Inter Milan to gain more access to Napoli’s back line.
For Inter Milan, this marks the third consecutive year they are celebrating with the trophy. Simone Inzaghi’s men played a well-constructed style of football to push Napoli to their ultimate limits in the end. The Man of the Match was given out to World Cup winner and goal-scorer, Lautaro Martinez. The Argentine netted his 21st goal in all competitions this season, leading the way for Internazionale in a push for a title race in the Serie A.
Napoli will look ahead to a Sunday clash at Stadio Olimpico where they will take on 6th place Lazio in the Serie A. Mazzarri’s men will need to keep fighting for a European Cup berth in the Serie A, where they sit middle of the table through 20 games. A win on Sunday could see a drastic climb from Napoli, but more importantly, a better product than today is well-needed.
What's next for Inter Milan is a trip to Firenze, where they will face 4th-place Fiorentina on Sunday. In a match that Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanpoglu will be sidelined due to accumulation of yellow cards in the tournament, Inzaghi’s tactics will get spun around as they look to regain control of the Serie A above game-in-hand rival Juventus.
