Final score

26 August 2012 20:45

Pescara
0 - 3
Inter
36' (2nd half) Coutinho
19' Milito
17' Sneijder
Referee: Marco Guida / Linesmen: Bianchi, Rosi / Fourth official: Altomare / Assistants: Damato, Palazzino
Watch highlights
Minute Text commentary
45' Referee Guida ends the half with no injury time. The teams head to the dressing rooms with a score of 0-2 thanks to Sneijder and Milito
43' Zanon crosses for Cascione and his header forces Castellazzi into a spectacular save
37' A free kick from Guarin is deflected
36' Yellow card shown to Zanon for a foul on Nagatomo
33' Yellow card shown to Colucci for a rough foul on Sneijder
31' An effort from Caprari nearly gives the hosts a goal, but his shot is just wide
29' Weiss whistled for offside
25' Weiss sends in a cross but the header from Jonathas is off target
23' Gargano does well to close down Cascione
19' GOAL INTER: Sneijder picks out Cassano, who provides the assist for Milito. El Principe side-foots his effort past the keeper
17' Cascione closes down Milito after a cross from Nagatomo
17' GOAL INTER: Zanetti starts the sequence on the right and Sneijder, served by Milito, scores with his left
15' Caprari takes the free kick and Castellazzi tips it over the bar
14' Yellow card shown to Gargano for a foul on Weiss
12' Yellow card shown to Weiss for simulation after going down in the box under a phantom challenge from Zanetti
11' Cambiasso finds Milito before Sneijder attempts a bicycle kick
5' Caprari gets away from Zanetti and Castellazzi saves for a corner
3' A free kick for Pescara after a foul by Guarin. Cascione smacks it against the wall before Jonathas' follow-up goes wide
1' Welcome to the Stadio Adriatico. Everything is ready for Pescara v Inter, the Week 1 match of the 2012/13 Serie A season
1' And the Nerazzurri's season is underway as Inter take the opening kick-off
1' Match number 200 in Italy for Gargano
1' Gargano, Cambiasso and Guarin in midfield with Sneijder and Cassano supporting Milito
1' Stramaccioni fielding Castellazzi in goal behind the central defensive pair of Silvestre and Ranocchia with Zanetti and Nagatomo in the full-back positions
1' This will be the debut for newly acquired Nerazzuri players Cassano and Gargano, both starters
Minute Text commentary
48' After 3 minutes of injury time the match ends as a 3-0 win for Inter away to Pescara. Goals from Sneijder, Milito and Coutinho
47' Colucci's shot is an easy save for Castellazzi
45' The referee signals for three minutes of injury time
44' Quintero takes a free kick for Pescara and the ball goes high over the bar
42' A low shot from Guarin goes just wide of the post
41' Perin manages to stop a ferocious long-distance shot from Livaja
41' Substitution for Inter: Gargano comes off for Duncan
39' Substitution for Inter: Milito comes off for Livaja
36' GOAL INTER: Coutinho beats Perin after some build-up play from Guarin and then Milito
35' Cascione shoots wide from outside the box
33' Quintero beats two defenders but his shot is stopped by Castellazzi
31' Milito receives the ball from Coutinho and wastes a fantastic opportunity alone in front of goal
30' Substitution for Pescara: Jonathas comes off for Abbruscato
23' Substitution for Inter: Cassano comes off for Coutinho
20' Substitution for Pescara: Caprari comes off for Celik
16' Substitution for Pescara: Nielsen comes off for Quintero
16' Cassano sends a great ball to Milito, who is shut down by Romagnoli
14' A one-two between Guarin and Milito sees the Colombian take off like a shot, but Perin proves decisive in stopping him
12' At the near post, Cambiasso heads just wide on a cross from Sneijder
8' Guarin shoots wide from distance
5' Gargano looks to trigger a counter but Balzano reads it and thwarts Cassano
1' The second half begins with no substitutions
Zanetti
7.5
7.5
Cambiasso
7.04
7.04
Milito
8.33
8.33
Sneijder
8.37
8.37
Castellazzi
8.18
8.18
Coutinho
8.12
8.12
Ranocchia
7.29
7.29
Nagatomo
7.21
7.21
Guarin
7.45
7.45
Livaja
6.95
6.95
Duncan
6.54
6.54
Silvestre
6.66
6.66
Cassano
7.67
7.67
Gargano
7.57
7.57
Average rating 7.49
6 shots on target 6
5 shots off target 7
7 fouls committed 11
10 corners 2
1 offsides 1
46% ball possession 54%
Inter winless in Week 1 since 2006

Inter have not won on the opening day since 9 September 2006, when the Nerazzurri recorded a 3-2 win at Fiorentina. Since then it's been a run of 4 draws and a defeat.

Gargano could make 200th appearance in Italy

Should Walter Gargano feature, he will make his 200th appearance in Italy, having thus far played 165 times in Serie A, 12 in the Coppa Italia, 21 in European competition and once in other tournaments, all with Napoli. His debut in Italian football came in a 4-0 win for the Partenopei over Cesena in the Coppa Italia on 15 August 2007.

Pescara v Inter: third opening day meeting

Despite the fact this will only be their sixth season in the top flight, today sees Pescara meet Inter for the third time on the opening day of the season. The Nerazzurri won on 16 September 1979 with an own goal from Domenichini on 12 minutes and Oriali's strike 20 minutes from time. The men from Abruzzo avenged that defeat on 13 September 1987 with a 2-0 win in Milan, Galvani (40) and Sliskovic (57, pen) getting the goals.

Pescara v Inter: third opening day meeting

Despite the fact this will only be their sixth season in the top flight, today sees Pescara meet Inter for the third time on the opening day of the season. The Nerazzurri won on 16 September 1979 with an own goal from Domenichini on 12 minutes and Oriali's strike 20 minutes from time. The men from Abruzzo avenged that defeat on 13 September 1987 with a 2-0 win in Milan, Galvani (40) and Sliskovic (57, pen) getting the goals.

Stramaccioni v Stroppa

Giovanni Stroppa and Andrea Stramaccioni pit their wits against each other with the latter's first competitive game - as coach - against Pescara. Stroppa also takes on Inter for the first time this evening from the dugout. As a player the Biancazzurri coach met Inter on 17 occasions, and has a poor record against them, with 2 wins, 5 draws and 10 defeats.

DA IMPLEMENTARE
wins(5) draws(1) defeats(1)

PESCARA - A sold-out Stadio Adriatico witnessed the opener of the 2012/13 Serie A season between Pescara and Inter, with Andrea Stramaccioni guiding the Nerazzurri to a winning start: a 0-3 victory. It was a match of many interesting firsts, among which the Inter coach’s meeting against the side from Abruzzo - a recently promoted club that played with big-team personality.

In the first half Inter found the net twice in two minutes through Sneijder and Milito. The Nerazzurri had to deal with an opponent capable of rapid counterattacking. And among some exciting interchanges and manoeuvring that brought applause from the fans, Inter hit their third thanks to Coutinho, assisted by Milito.

FIRST HALF – We’re only at the beginning, but it’s a fantastic start. Stramaccioni handed starting places to two of the three new Nerazzurri signings, Cassano and Gargano (today the Uruguayan celebrated his 200th match in Italy). With Palacio suspended, Milito took the role of the lone striker, and on the bench – as of today with 12 players available – Coutinho waited his turn. A foul from Guarin awarded a free kick to Pescara after three minutes; Cascione fired his shot off the wall before Jonathas sent the rebound out for a goal kick. Then when Caprari surged forward Castellazzi saved for a corner. On 12 minutes the Biancazzurri countered through Weiss, who beat his man to enter the box before going down as Zanetti approached, resulting in the midfielder receiving a booking for simulation. Two minutes later Gargano saw his name go down in the referee’s book for a challenge; Castellazzi tipped the ensuing free kick, taken by Caprari, over the bar for a corner.

Wesley Sneijder then had the honour of being the first Inter player to find the net this season; a forward pass from Zanetti picked out Milito, allowing the Argentine to send a perfect cross for the Dutchman to side-foot into the Pescara goal. The celebrations had barely died down before the Nerazzurri had their second goal. It was another perfect triangulation play; from Sneijder’s through ball to Cassano, then Milito, allowing El Principe to shoot past Perin from just inside the 6-yard box. Pescara’s first real chance came on 31 minutes when Caprari beat the offside trap before firing his diagonal shot inches wide of Castellazzi’s far post. The home side conceded a free kick in the 36th minute when Zanon hauled back Nagatomo two paces outside the box. Perin then dived low to block Inter’s free kick after the foul. Whether it’s in Pietra Neamt or Pescara, Castellazzi is always capable of turning heads with his saves; after the pearl last Thursday that denied Sburlea, the Nerazzurri’s number 12 conjured up another today on 43 minutes from Cascione’s header, allowing Inter to finish the first half with a clean sheet.

SECOND HALF - The second half kicked off with no changes, and after 11 minutes of play Inter caused a scare in the Pescara box when Sneijder crossed for Cambiasso to head the ball high. There was practically a replay on 59 minutes when Guarin found Milito, who returned the ball to the Colombian before a sortie from Perin to the edge of his box thwarted Inter’s chance for a third. It was only the first match of the season, but there was an evident sense of understanding between the Nerazzurri players. This was made clear in the bewitching combination of passes between Milito and Cassano in the Pescara box on 60 minutes, even if the exchange failed to end in a goal.

Stramaccioni took Cassano off in the 68th minute and sent on Coutinho in his place, and it didn’t take long at all for the Brazilian to create a golden chance for Milito. On 76 minutes, with Perin’s goal at his mercy, El Principe shot high when trying to place the ball in the top corner. However, the Argentine striker quickly made up for it when he collected Guarin’s pass wide on the right and sent a perfect cross for Coutinho to one-time into the Biancazzurri’s net.

In the 86th minute Stramaccioni gave Duncan his Serie A debut, and after three minutes of added time Guida whistled to end the match. Inter won their season opener, breaking their streak of beginning the season with a draw. They lead the group of 7 teams with three points in the standings and soon plunge back into Europa League play: Vaslui are to visit the Meazza before next Sunday's clash with Roma.

Pescara 0-3 Inter

Scorers: Sneijder 17, Milito 19, Coutinho 81.

Pescara: 77 Perin; 2 Zanon, 4 Cascione, 5 Capuano, 6 Romagnoli, 14 Balzano, 17 Weiss, 18 Colucci 20 Nielsen (Quintero 61), 80 Jonathas (Abbruscato 75), 99 Caprari (Celik 65).
Unused subs: 22 Anania, 8 Bjarnason, 15 Bocchetti, 16 Brugman, 19 Chiaretti, 23 Cosic, 26 Blasi, 88 Terlizzi, 90 Ragusa.
Coach: Giovanni Stroppa.

Inter: 12 Castellazzi; 4 Zanetti, 6 Silvestre, 23 Ranocchia, 55 Nagatomo; 14 Guarin, 21 Gargano (Duncan 86), 19 Cambiasso; 10 Sneijder, 99 Cassano (Coutinho 68); 22 Milito (Livaja 84).
Unused subs: 27 Belec, 32 Cincilla, 24 Benassi, 25 Samuel, 40 Juan Jesus, 42 Jonathan 33 Mbaye, 44 Bianchetti, 81 Longo.
Coach: Andrea Stramaccioni.

Referee: Marco Guida (Torre Annunziata).
Booked: Weiss 12, Gargano 14, Colucci 33, Zanon 36.
Added time: 0 + 3 minutes.

starting lineups

Perin 12 Castellazzi
Zanon 4 Zanetti
Cascione 6 Silvestre
Capuano 23 Ranocchia
Romagnoli 55 Nagatomo
Balzano 14 Guarin
Weiss 21 Gargano
Colucci 19 Cambiasso
Nielsen 10 Sneijder
Jonathas 99 Cassano
Caprari 22 Milito

substitutes

Anania 27 Belec
Bjarnason 32 Cincilla
Abbruscato 7 Coutinho
Celik 24 Benassi
Bocchetti 25 Samuel
Brugman 33 Mbaye
Chiaretti 40 Jesus
Cosic 41 Duncan
Blasi 42 Jonathan
Terlizzi 44 Bianchetti
Ragusa 81 Longo
88 Livaja