GENOA – He placed the ball down carefully, took a run-up and unleashed it at 106km/h with a left-footed thunderbolt. Federico Dimarco has been involved with Inter his entire life, having grown up as a fan before joining the club’s youth ranks at the age of seven. The 24-year-old, whose left foot is precise and unstoppable, waited for his first Serie A start for Inter to register his maiden goal for the club.

“Scoring for this club was a feeling that I can’t put into words. I’m an Inter fans, I used to be in the Curva and came up through the youth ranks. Scoring for Inter is a moment that I’ve waited so long for.

“Of course, I’m disappointed that the victory slipped through our grasp because we had so many clear-cut chances. We could’ve got all three points.”

As for starting in a back three, the defender said, “It’s obviously different from playing as a winger. I play wherever the coach decides.”

Remarkably, Mario Balotelli was the last Italian Inter player to score for the club directly from a free kick, back in February 2009 against Bologna. Dimarco also looked ahead to the upcoming Champions League opener: “It’s obviously exciting to be taking on Real Madrid, but we have to focus on preparing well so that we head into Wednesday’s game at our best.”