Lautaro Martínez Double Keeps Inter in Pursuit of Frontrunners
Inter forward Lautaro Martínez netted a second-half brace to earn his team a 2-0 victory at Pisa, keeping the visitors very much involved in the Serie A title race in spite of a less than convincing performance.
Standings Overview
Led by Cristian Chivu, Inter now are placed third in the standings with 27 points total, tied with runner-up Roma and just one point behind table-toppers Milan. Meanwhile, Pisa occupy the third bottom position with 10 points.
Game Recap
Inter traveled in Tuscany aiming to get back on track after suffering a derby defeat by Milan last weekend, which was followed by a Champions League defeat at Atlético Madrid. Nonetheless, they were forced to fight throughout by newly-promoted Pisa. The hosts created plenty of chances, but a clinical Inter scored the opener in the 69th minute mark when Argentinian Martínez smacked a one-time shot into the roof of the net. The forward then tapped in from point-blank with seven minutes remaining.
The team’s ability to score even with pressure was decisive in earning the victory.
Other Continental Action
In Spain, the Basque side mounted a thrilling comeback from 2-0 down to level at home against Villarreal, only to succumb to a late strike five minutes into added time. The visitors’ scoring 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. However, Moleiro had the last word deep into stoppage time.
In the late La Liga match, Real Madrid travel to Girona requiring a win to return to the top ahead of Barcelona, who recorded a 3-1 win over Alavés on Saturday.
- The Nerazzurri stay in tight contention for the Serie A title.
- Martínez demonstrated his worth with a match-winning performance.
- The battle for first continues with multiple teams competing.
