Antonio Conte’s men triumph over Sampdoria in Serie A

Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan sailed past Sampdoria in their first Serie A fixture in the post lockdown period with Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez finding the back of the net. On the other hand, Morten Thorsby scored for Sampdoria in the second half, but the goal went in vain.

The loss against Inter Milan will make Sampdoria to rethink their strategy for the upcoming fixtures as they are just a point above from the relegation zone. Sampdoria are in the 16th position with 26 points whereas the 18th placed Lecce are with 25 points in the Italian top-tier. With 12 games to go, Sampdoria will expect themselves to find their form and remain in the top tier.

The win against Claudio Ranieri’s men has helped Inter Milan to strengthen their hold on the third position. Antonio Conte’s men are just five points off the second-placed Lazio and six points off the league leaders, Juventus. It was the first game for Inter Milan as coronavirus enforced the break since March 9. The fixture was initially scheduled for February 23, but the games were suspended in Italy.

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Inter Milan didn’t allow the opposition, Sampdoria, to adjust into the new normal of playing without fans. Inter Milan were off into a splendid start with Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku playing a great one-two with their recent addition, Christian Eriksen. This led to the 10th-minute goal by the “Big Belgian” Romelu Lukaku, who took a knee and raised his fist in the air as a part of the celebration. It is quite normal these days to tribute the goal to George Floyd and supporting the anti-racism campaign.

Inter Milan looked in brilliant touch in their first game after the restart. They moved the ball quite efficiently and enjoyed the possession on the ball. Sampdoria were disappointed to not to get the ball and found themselves defending deep in their own half. However, Inter doubled their advantage in the 33rd minute through a close-range strike from Lautaro Martinez.

Former Manchester United striker ran between the defenders, calling Antonio Candreva into action. The Inter player rolled the ball back into Lautaro Martinez who slotted it past the goalkeeper. The goal ended Argentine international’s six-match goal drought across all competitions.

When the game was seemingly difficult for Sampdoria to catch up, Morten Thorsby opened the goal tally for Sampdoria in the starting minutes of the second half. The goal within eight minutes of the restart changed the complexion of the game completely and Sampdoria started growing in confidence.

Inter were edgy after the relegation threatened, Sampdoria cut the goal difference down to one. Inter observed nervy moments as Nicola Murru and Mehdi Leris tested Samir Handanovic with long-range efforts and free-kicks, respectively. However, Inter Milan held onto the one-goal lead, strengthening their position in Serie A. Also, the victory against Sampdoria have kept Inter Milan still in the title rice.

Antonio Conte’s men will face 12th placed Sassuolo in their next fixture on Wednesday. On the other hand, Sampdoria will look to bounce back when they face fifth-placed Roma in the mid-week clash.

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