Lautaro Martínez Double Keeps Inter Milan in Pursuit of Leaders
Inter striker Lautaro Martínez netted a second-half brace to earn his team a 2-0 victory at Pisa, keeping the visitors firmly engaged in the Italian league championship battle in spite of a less than convincing performance.
Standings Update
Under manager Cristian Chivu, Inter now are placed in third position in the standings with 27 points, tied with runner-up Roma and just one point adrift of table-toppers Milan. In contrast, Pisa hold the third bottom position with 10 points.
Match Recap
Inter traveled in Tuscany looking to get back on track after enduring a loss to rivals by Milan recently, which was followed by a Champions League loss at Atlético Madrid. Nonetheless, they were forced to fight all the way by newly-promoted Pisa. The home team generated plenty of chances, but a clinical Inter broke the deadlock in the 69th minute when Argentinian Martínez smacked a one-time shot into the roof of the net. The attacker then finished from point-blank seven minutes from time.
The team’s capacity to score despite pressure was crucial in earning three points.
Additional Continental Matches
Across in Spain, Real Sociedad mounted a dramatic fightback from 2-0 down to equalize at home against Villarreal, only to lose to a late strike five minutes into stoppage 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 reduced the deficit and Ander Barrenetxea leveled the score three minutes from time. Yet, Moleiro delivered the last word late in stoppage time.
In the late La Liga fixture, Real Madrid travel to Girona requiring a victory to return to the summit above Barcelona, who recorded a 3-1 triumph over Alavés on the previous day.
- Inter stay in close contention for the Italian crown.
- Martínez demonstrated his worth with a match-winning performance.
- The title race goes on with several teams in the mix.
