Il Toro Vanquished By Il Toro

Another ugly win, another match ticked off. That’s 2 and a half in a row now. It’s not pleasant or easy on the eye but winning ugly always bodes well for a team that is aiming to win the league.

Left Off The Hook In The First Half

It was a hot day at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino and Inter played at a slow tempo. Torino clammed up and sat back, looking to hit us on the counter but there weren’t many such attempts made by the home side. However, they did have the best chance of the first half when Lyanco’s header came back off the post after Alessandro Bastoni slipped. The rebound was cleared off the line by Romelu Lukaku. Torino didn’t get the break they wanted while Inter were left off the hook.

LuLa Connection

Arturo Vidal was missing through an injury, not that it was a loss many Inter fans cried over considering the lack of impact he has made in this team. Christian Eriksen was just recovering from an injury so he started the game on the bench. Roberto Gagliardini started instead and I could see they were using him as an extra man in the box. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make his runs into the box count. Achraf Hakimi was wasteful with his crossing. Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez were struggling to get into the game and the one time, they did click, we won a penalty that was converted by Lukaku. Besides that penalty conversion, Lukaku was well-shackled by Gleison Bremer.

Chaotic Equaliser

Conceding the first goal forced Torino to open up and attack but they too didn’t create anything until they scored the equaliser. Their equaliser came from a source that had already fired a warning shot in the first half, a corner. The defending on the corner was chaotic, there were bodies in white strewn on the floor after Antonio Sanabria scored an equaliser. Like many Inter fans, I was hoping the goal would be chalked off on the VAR because of a foul. But it wasn’t, 1-1.

Martinez Wins It!

Eriksen was already on the pitch and we should have made it 2-0 quickly after scoring our first goal. Hakimi’s attempt wasn’t powerful enough and it was cleared off the line. The player that made the difference coming off the bench was Alexis Sanchez. Sanchez was brought on to replace Marcelo Brozovic and he dropped deep into pockets of space between defence and midfield. That is where he did his damage. His cross was met by an angled header by Martinez for our winning goal with 5 minutes left.

Winning Ugly & The Chasing Pack

We applaud Juventus in past seasons for their ability to win ugly. It’s a trait that can frustrate and demotivate the chasing pack but we have the master of winning ugly themselves chasing us. Their exit from the Champions League is the worst thing that can happen to us. Like us, they would now have time to prepare for one match per week. Added to that, players in their ranks have the experience of winning league titles and with the winning mentality. They might have a rookie manager but even he has vast experience of winning league titles. Milan might be second now but you sense that they are beginning to falter. At this stage, getting three points is all that matters, any which way it comes. Ideally, I would like us to play well and win but I understand the importance at this stage of holding your nerves and getting across the finish line without fluffing our lines.