Inter denied by spirited Genoa

GENOA – Inter were unable to take full advantage of AC Milan’s failure to beat Udinese at San Siro earlier on Friday evening, as the Nerazzurri were made to settle for a point at the Marassi against a resolute Genoa side.

The good news to take away from Liguria is that a forgettable February is over, with Inter failing to win for the fourth game in a row in Serie A for the first time since 2017/18. The opportunity to return to the summit of the table was not taken on this occasion, although it should not be forgotten that the Nerazzurri still have a game in hand on their city rivals.

Simone Inzaghi’s side has now failed to score against Liverpool, Sassuolo and Genoa, while tonight’s performance certainly lacked a spark at times. The players did create a few chances, but the conviction that a victory was on the cards was rarely seen or felt.

There was an element of misfortune on the night, with D’Ambrosio hitting the bar from a Hakan Calhanoglu corner, but Genoa’s fifth stalemate in a row leaves a feeling of disappointment in the Inter ranks, where there is a need for a gear change for the remainder of the season, starting on Tuesday in the derby in the Coppa d’Italia.

A defeat to forget last time out and a title challenge to get back on track were on the agenda for Inzaghi’s charges at the Ferraris in Genoa. The aim was to end the month of February on a high and put some disappointing results against direct rivals to one side, but it did not quite go to plan.  Alessandro Bastoni and Marcelo Brozovic came back into the line-up, while Milan Skriniar was rested. D’Ambrosio and Alexis Sanchez were also given the nod to start.

Alexander Blessin’s Genoa side headed into the game off the back of four consecutive draws and lined up in a 4-2-3-1 system in which they battled with heart and desire throughout as their desperate bid to avoid the drop gathers pace. 

Inter made a fast start to the game and both Ivan Perisic and Calhanoglu went close in the early stages. It was not one-way traffic, however, as Genoa had a fine chance to open the scoring when Albert Gudmundsson raced through on goal with just Samir Handanovic to beat, only to steer his shot wide of the post. 

Manolo Portanova did a commendable job of keeping tabs on Marcelo Brozovic, while the team pressed high and worked hard to recover possession throughout. The tactic worked particularly well on a few occasions and it left the Inter rearguard struggling to clear its lines, firstly through D’Ambrosio and secondly through a stunning reflex save by Handanovic to keep out Filippo Melgoni’s deflected shot.

The visitors dominated the possession stats, which were as high as 75% at times, but without making it count. Perisic and Denzel Dumfries started to make inroads on their respective flanks as the first half wore on, but the players in the middle couldn’t make the most of the service.

Inter needed to show that ruthless streak that had seen the team surge to the top of the table in late 2021. The players, however, seemed to show fatigue at the start of the second half, as they struggled to find their usual fluidity in possession.

Genoa remained compact throughout and weren’t disjointed by some enforced substitutions in the second half. Inter sent on Arturo Vidal, Lautaro Martinez, Federico Dimarco and Matias Vecino in a bid to turn things around, while Felipe Caicedo made his debut for the club against his former employers to form a potentially dangerous trident that had little bite on the night. Lautaro’s eyes did light up as he took aim on his left foot with the clock running down, but Leo Ostigard made a stunning challenge to block the shot for a corner.

It was one of those games that was simply destined to finish 0-0. The contest did kick off five minutes later than scheduled in relation to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine as a small but symbolic display of solidarity during such a complicated period.

GENOA 0-0 INTER (HT: 0-0) 

GENOA (4-2-3-1): 57 Sirigu; 36 Hefti, 52 Maksimovic (50 Cambiaso, 53; 16 Calafiori, 61), 55 Ostigard, 15 Vasquez; 27 Sturaro, 47 Badelj; 11 Gudmundsson (8 Amiri, 83), 10 Melegoni, 90 Portanova (65 Rovella, 83); 45 Yeboah (91 Kallon, 61).Subs not used: 1 Semper, 22 Marchetti, 18 Ghiglione, 23 Destro, 32 Frendrup, 33 Hernani, 99 Galdames.Coach: Alexander Blessin.

INTER (3-5-2): 1 Handanovic; 33 D'Ambrosio (88 Caicedo, 87), 6 De Vrij, 95 Bastoni; 2 Dumfries, 23 Barella (8 Vecino, 83), 77 Brozovic, 20 Calhanoglu (22 Vidal, 73), 14 Perisic (32 Dimarco, 83); 9 Dzeko, 7 Sanchez (10 Lautaro, 73).Subs not used: 21 Cordaz, 97 Radu, 5 Gagliardini, 13 Ranocchia, 36 Darmian, 37 Skriniar.Coach: Simone Inzaghi.

Booked: Perisic, Ostigard, Blessin.Added time: 0+5.

Referee: Chiffi.Assistants: Prenna and Vecchi.Fourth official: Colombo.VAR: Mazzoleni.Assistant VAR: Tolfo.