Martínez Brace Ensures Inter Milan on Tail of Leaders
Inter forward Lautaro Martínez scored a second-half brace to secure his side a 2-0 victory at Pisa, ensuring the away side very much involved in the Serie A title race despite a somewhat shaky performance.
Standings Overview
Under manager Cristian Chivu, Inter now sit third in the standings with 27 points total, level with second-placed Roma and only one point behind table-toppers Milan. In contrast, Pisa occupy the 18th spot with 10 points.
Match Recap
Inter arrived in Tuscany looking to return to winning ways after enduring a derby defeat by Milan recently, followed by a European defeat at Atlético Madrid. However, they were forced to fight throughout by newly-promoted Pisa. The home team generated plenty of chances, but a efficient Inter broke the deadlock in the 69th minute mark when Argentinian Martínez smacked a first-time shot into the roof of the net. The forward then finished from point-blank seven minutes from time.
Inter’s capacity to score even with difficult circumstances was crucial in securing the victory.
Additional European Action
In Spain, the Basque side mounted a dramatic fightback from 2-0 down to equalize at home against Villarreal, only to lose to a goal five minutes into added time. Villarreal’s goals came from Ayoze Pérez just after the half-hour mark and Alberto Moleiro in the 57th minute, but Carlos Soler soon pulled one back and Ander Barrenetxea leveled the score three minutes from time. Yet, Moleiro had the last word deep into stoppage time.
Later on Spanish match, Real Madrid journey to Girona requiring a victory to go back to the summit ahead of Barcelona, who recorded a 3-1 triumph over Alavés on the previous day.
- Inter remain in close contention for the Italian crown.
- Martínez proved his worth with a decisive performance.
- The title race goes on with multiple clubs in the mix.
