Inter see off Lecce in Serie A

Matteo Darmian nodded Inter ahead in the fifth minute before Hakan Calhanoglu made sure that the majority of the around 70,000 fans at the San Siro went home happy with his 70th-minute penalty.

Simone Inzaghi's team are level with three other teams on four points, including Parma and Genoa who were 1-0 winners at Monza, after their first two matches of the new campaign.

"Winning is hard but staying up there is even harder. We had to bounce back after drawing at Genoa and we managed to do that," said Darmian to 'Sky Sport.' "Our secret is who we have in the squad. At Inter there is a lot of competition and that internal competition is good for everyone."

Inter were far from their thrilling best but didn't need to be against sorry Lecce who are pointless, have conceded six and are yet to score after two fiendish opening fixtures against the champions and Atalanta.

Without injured captain and star striker Lautaro Martinez, Mehdi Taremi made his first start for Inter since signing last month after being released by Porto. The Iran forward had a hand in Darmian's opener, getting a slight touch on a cross and diverting the ball to the Italy defender who made no mistake with an angled header.

Taremi also had claims for a penalty waved away shortly after the break following a clash with Kialonda Gaspar in a bit of penalty box chaos, which led to Marcus Thuram having a close-range shot saved by Wladimiro Falcone.

It was Thuram who earned Calhanoglu the chance to seal the points from the spot when as he challenged for a cross Gaspar bundled over the France forward, and Turkey midfielder Calhanoglu confidently stroked home.

 

August 24, 2024