A Sanchez brace secures victory for Inter in Parma

PARMA - A question of centimetres. We're not certain by how many centimetres that ball crossed the line for Alexis Sanchez’s first goal, but when Pasqua’s watch lit up with the greatest word in the football dictionary - GOAL - we weren’t bothered by the fine margins. It was a goal that unlocked a match which had plenty of similarities to the away game against Udinese, the Nerazzurri’s last game with a goal. No draw, no disappointment: Sanchez bagged a brace in a 2-1 away win at the Tardini tonight. Parma battled hard and were well in the game even after the Chilean scored his and Inter’s second. We won 2-1 but had to work hard to maintain the lead in the dying moments of the game as D’Aversa’s side put the away team under plenty of pressure. Inter have now won their last six games in Serie A and move onto 59 points after 25 games.

In his pre-match press conference, Antonio Conte had said the following: “In the past year and a half, Parma have caused us plenty of problems. We won once and drew the other two games.” Parma are certainly a tough team to face - in spite of their current position in the table. The two draws at San Siro and the topsy-turvy victory at the Tardini last summer attest to that fact. You can never write off the Gialloblù. Conte made two changes to the team that beat Genoa: Hakimi and Sanchez started in place of Darmian and Lautaro. D’Aversa’s Parma lined up in a 4-3-1-2 formation without an out-and-out striker, and the Argentine Lautaro Valenti was  tasked with man-marking Lukaku. The latter was a titanic battle between two physically imposing players.

Inter looked to start quickly, just as they had done against Genoa. Perisic and Hakimi both caused Parma a scare in the box but to no avail. D’Aversa’s side would not be drawn out by Inter and kept a very low back line. The hosts preferred a slower build-up with plenty of one-touch passes, with Inter struggling to press and win the ball high up the pitch.

In the 15th minute, Handanovic was called into action to deny Kurtic from close range. We’re usually so accustomed to seeing Inter create chance after chance, but the Nerazzurri only really got going on the front foot from the half-hour mark onwards. In the final 15 minutes of the half, Inter found a bit more space and played a more expansive style of football, especially down the right through Hakimi and Barella. In the 31st minute, Eriksen couldn’t find the telling touch to tap home Hakimi’s ball in after a rampaging run down the right. Inter were grinding through the gears now and Skriniar’s close-range effort was pushed away by Sepe and Perisic couldn’t turn home on the rebound. It wasn’t a real siege but chances were flowing: practically all five of Inter’s first-half shots came as the half drew to a close, with Sepe getting down well to deny Lukaku. The Belgian was unleashed now and came close with his head. For the first time since that draw in Udine in January, a game involving Inter was goalless at the break.

Upon returning to the pitch, Inter knew they needed to show more aggression and conviction in order to tip the balance in their favour. With the ball rolling again at the Tardini, the Nerazzurri began finding Lukaku and Sanchez more quickly and on a continuous basis. But the player who was providing the impetus was Brozovic, who played with energy and determination despite being one booking away from suspension. The goal that opened the scoring arrived thanks to the Croat winning the ball back in the final third and managing to find Lukaku. The ball then ricocheted to Alexis, who managed to open the scoring despite both Sepe and Gagliolo’s attempts to keep his shot out. A moment of tension, but Pasqua’s watch began to vibrate: Inter were ahead.

As for Parma, it was clear that D’Aversa had instructed his players to leave no room for Lukaku to manoeuvre, and they did manage to do a good job in this regard for most of the match. However, when they let their guard down in the 62nd minute, they were fatally punished. The Belgian picked up the ball in the middle of the park and began charging forward. The Crociati defence simply couldn’t catch him as he laid the ball off for Alexis to slot the ball into the net. The Chilean had his first Nerazzurri brace and Inter were two to the good.

However, Parma never surrendered and kept battling away throughout. D’Aversa switched things up, and one of his substitutes contributed to a goal. Indeed, the newly introduced Pezzella drove down the left and picked out Hernani, who pulled one back with an excellent volley. The hosts were suddenly back in it, with Inter dropping deeper in order to protect their lead. Up front, Lukaku and Lautaro, who had come on for Sanchez, battled away to try and keep the ball high up the pitch. While it wasn’t exactly an assault on the Inter goal, it wasn’t easy going for the Nerazzurri, who had to dig deep. And that they successfully did, allowing them to pick up three vital points.

MATCH DETAILS

PARMA (4-3-1-2): 1 Sepe; 24 Osorio, 13 Bani, 30 Valenti (42 Busi 67'), 7 Gagliolo (3 Pezzella 67'); 23 Hernani (9 Pellè 85'), 15 Brugman, 14 Kurtic; 33 Kucka (45 Inglese 67'); 10 Karamoh, 98 Man (28 Mihaila 46').Substitutes: 34 Colombi, 2 Iacoponi, 8 Grassi, 18 Cyprien, 19 Sohm, 22 Bruno Alves, 32 Brunetta.Coach: Roberto D'Aversa.

INTER (3-5-2): 1 Handanovic; 37 Skriniar, 6 de Vrij, 95 Bastoni; 2 Hakimi, 23 Barella, 77 Brozovic, 24 Eriksen (22 Vidal 67'), 14 Perisic (36 Darmian 85'); 9 Lukaku, 7 Sanchez (10 Lautaro 76').Substitutes: 97 Radu, 5 Gagliardini, 8 Vecino, 11 Kolarov, 12 Sensi, 13 Ranocchia, 15 Young, 33 D'Ambrosio, 99 Pinamonti.Coach: Antonio Conte.

Goalscorers: 54' and 62' Sanchez (I), 71' Hernani (P)Bookings: Darmian (I)Added time: 3' - 4'.

Referee: Pasqua.Linesmen: Giallatini, Cecconi.Fourth Official: Abbattista.VAR: Doveri.Assistant VAR: Bindoni.