Inter cruise into Italian Super Cup final after beating Lazio
It always promised to be an emotional affair for Inter boss Simone Inzaghi, who spent over a decade with Lazio as a player and five more years as a manager, but there was no room for niceties as the Nerazzurri came racing out of the blocks, committing bodies forward and flying ferociously into tackles.
Maurizio Sarri’s side could count themselves fortunate to still be level with fewer than 10 minutes on the clock, as Thuram swept over the bar from close range before seeing a diving header deflected narrowly wide by Mario Gila.
Lazio soon cracked under the immense pressure, and it was to be third time lucky for Inter’s in-form Frenchman, who found himself ideally placed at the far post to meet Federico Dimarco’s eye-catching flick-on and tap home a scintillating team move.
Matteo Darmian should have doubled the advantage before the break, but he fired waywardly over from inside the box to somehow leave Lazio within touching distance, despite their failure to notch a single shot on target.
The Biancocelesti’s inability to find any sort of rhythm meant Inter went unpunished, and the onslaught continued in the second period.
Goal machine Lautaro Martinez drew a blank on the night but played a huge part in his side’s second, earning a penalty due to Pedro’s clumsy challenge, and Hakan Calhanoglu stepped up to convert with ruthless efficiency.
Inter could feasibly have scored six or seven, but they continued to spurn high-quality chances until substitute Davide Frattesi tucked away a one-on-one to rubber-stamp a miserable night for Lazio, whose only glimmer of goal came when Ciro Immobile’s late strike was chalked off for handball.
Inter carry a run of just one defeat in 21 matches into their mouth-watering showdown against Napoli, and Inzaghi has got his red-hot side exactly where he wants them as he chases down a record-breaking fifth Super Cup win since becoming a manager.
Lazio, meanwhile, will turn their attention back to domestic duties, having seen their five-game winning streak crumble to dust.
Flashscore Man of Match: Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter)
