Lautaro Martinez scored twice as Inter came from behind to get back on track in Serie A with a 2-1 victory over lowly Cremonese.
Martinez netted either side of the interval in Saturday's Lombardy derby at Giovanni Zini Stadium.
With a sharp finish having cancelled out David Okereke's sensational opener in the first half, Martinez lashed home from inside the area in the 65th minute.
The victory took Inter onto 40 points and, temporarily at least, into second place, though runaway leaders Napoli hold a 10-point lead.
Inter's bright start failed to produce a true chance, and they were stunned by an incredible 11th-minute opener when Okereke curled a sublime strike in off the underside of the crossbar.
Yet Cremonese's lead lasted just 10 minutes, with Martinez reacting sharply to turn home after Marco Carnesecchi parried Edin Dzeko's volley.
Andre Onana's save prevented Marco Benassi's close-range flick restoring Cremonese's lead, before Martinez drilled just wide at the other end.
Martinez snatched at another chance before the break, sending a tame rebound at Carnesecchi following Federico Dimarco's shot.
Carnesecchi was called into action again following the restart to ensure Dimarco's cross did not find its way in, but Inter kept on the pressure and were rewarded with 25 minutes remaining – Dzeko slipping in Martinez, who hammered beyond Carnesecchi.
Martinez made way for Joaquin Correa soon after with his work done, though Matteo Darmian's last-ditch block from Cristian Buonaiuto's scuffed attempt was required to ensure Inter headed home with the three points.
What does it mean? More misery for winless Cremonese
Cremonese became only the second side since Serie A returned to a 20-team league (2004-05) to have failed to win a match in the first half of the season (after Hellas Verona in 2015-16) – and despite their best efforts, that victory still eludes them with 20 games of the campaign accounted for.
They did forge some chances, having 12 shots and getting four on target, but on the balance of play the result was a fair one. Inter finished with 2.5 expected goals (xG) and had 30 attempts, while home goalkeeper Carnesescchi made eight saves, including an excellent stop late on from Denzel Dumfries, as well as having to pick the ball out of his net twice.
Double figures for Martinez, again
With Romelu Lukaku desperately out of form – he has now failed to score in seven Serie A appearances after replacing Dzeko, his worst run in the competition – Inter at least have Martinez to call on.
Martinez's double took him to 11 league goals for the season, making him the third foreign player in Inter's history to hit double figures in Serie A in at least four seasons, after Stefano Nyers and Mauro Icardi.
The Argentina forward has now been involved in 13 goals in his last 10 Serie A games against promoted opponents, scoring 11 and setting up two more. He also netted in the reverse fixture back in August.
Okereke fades after stunning start
It was a quite superb opener from Cremonese forward Okereke, who gave Onana little chance with his excellent finish, catching Inter off guard.
However, the 25-year-old struggled to keep himself in the game from then on, and when he went off in the 72nd minute, that was the only shot he had managed, while he also conceded three fouls and lost possession 12 times.
Key Opta facts
– With his latest exploits, Martínez became the first player to score 10 or more goals in each of the last four Serie A campaigns.
– Inter have conceded 21 goals in 10 away matches in Serie A this season. They have never conceded more after the same number of games in a Serie A campaign, shipping 21 also in 1947-48, in 1931-32 and in 1930-31.
- Only Salernitana (25) have conceded more goals than Inter in away matches in Serie A this season. The Nerazzurri have conceded in each of their last 14 league away games, their longest such streak in Serie A since 1988 (18 games under Giovanni Trapattoni).
What's next?
Inter host Atalanta in a Coppa Italia quarter-final on Tuesday, with Cremonese facing Roma in the same competition a day later.
Lawrence Shankland keen to end strong season by helping Scotland’s European push
Lawrence Shankland is hoping to end his “really strong season” by helping Scotland take another big stride towards Euro 2024.
The 27-year-old has enjoyed arguably the best campaign of his career as he scored 28 goals and earned the captaincy in his first year at Hearts, whom he joined last summer from Belgian club Beerschot.
Shankland’s form at Tynecastle earned him a first Scotland cap for two and a half years in the victory over Spain in March, and he has retained his place in the squad for this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers away to Norway and at home to Georgia.
“When you get to the end of a season you get the chance to look back and assess it,” Shankland told the Scottish Football Association.
“For me, it was a really strong season. My performances throughout the season were to a really high standard and I was really happy with them.
“The number of goals I managed to chip in with was great. It was my first season at Hearts as well so it was good to get off to a good start. The captaincy was an opportunity that I probably didn’t expect when I first went to Hearts but when it was offered to me I was keen to take on that role.
“I felt it was something that would improve my all-round game, improve me as a person, and I felt I took it in my stride and handled it really well. It’s been a huge learning opportunity for me and hopefully it stands me in good stead for the future.”
Shankland has won five Scotland caps but he admits such a scenario would have been a pipe dream when he found himself without a club and pondering getting a job away from football when he was released by Aberdeen in 2017. He eventually joined Ayr and set about rebuilding his career.
“There’s been a lot of rejections along the way but it comes down to hard work and determination really,” he said, reflecting on his rise. “You have your end goals and what you want to achieve in your career.
“There have been times when I couldn’t have dreamed of getting a Scotland cap. But you just need to knuckle down and if you keep working hard, things pay off and you get these opportunities.
“I’ve taken most of them first time and did well at most of the clubs I’ve been at. It has been a bit of an up-and-down journey but I’ve worked hard and I feel like I deserve what’s come my way.”
The Scotland squad are currently at a training camp in Spain gearing up for their showdown with Norway in Oslo a week on Saturday.
Steve Clarke’s side sit top of their qualifying section after winning their opening two matches and know that a good share of points from their two outings this month will leave them firmly on course for the finals in Germany next summer.
“It’s been good to meet up and get everybody back together,” said Shankland.
“The wee break in between (the end of the club season) gives us a bit of time to do a training camp and I think that’s important for us before we go into the game week next week.
“The training’s been good and the weather’s been nice. The last two games we had really good results and we’ve given ourselves a really good opportunity going into these two games. If we get positive results we could be in a really good position.”
Alex Iacovitti says goodbye to Ross County
Alex Iacovitti has thanked Ross County for “an incredible three years” after his departure from the Staggies was confirmed.
The 25-year-old former Scotland Under-21 defender moved to the Highlands from Oldham in 2020 and made 116 games appearances for the Dingwall club, scoring 12 goals.
Iacovitti is leaving County, who survived in the cinch Premiership following a dramatic play-off victory over Partick Thistle, under freedom of contract.
“Firstly I’d like to place on record my thank you for an incredible three years at the club,” he said in a statement on the Staggies’ website. “I’ve loved my time in the Highlands and was happy to call it home for this period.
“The supporters were excellent throughout my time here and they will always hold a special place in my heart for how they have treated me.
“The players I played with at the club are also a top bunch of lads, unfortunately I was unable to play a part in the play-offs due to an injury I had played through that eventually got the better of me.
“I was absolutely delighted the club secured their Premiership status, where they belong.
“I wanted to thank all of you for your support throughout and wish you all and the club the very best for the future. I’ll be back to watch a game as a County fan in the future!”
County will announce full details of their retained/released list in due course.
One more year – Ben Foster sticking around at Wrexham following promotion
Ben Foster has signed a new one-year contract with Wrexham following their return to the English Football League.
The former England goalkeeper, 40, was tempted out of retirement in March to become a part of co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s ambitious plans to haul the club up the divisions.
He provided one of the National League’s moments of the season with a brilliant stoppage-time penalty save against fellow promotion hopefuls Notts County in April, preserving a 3-2 lead and sending Wrexham top of the table.
Phil Parkinson’s side clinched the title with a game to spare to ensure their 15-year stay in the fifth tier finally came to an end.
Foster, who played in the Premier League for Watford as recently as last year, told the club’s official website: “At the end of last season it was obvious that I enjoyed being at the club, I loved being part of the team and everything that Wrexham stands for.
“The fans took to me so warmly, Phil Parkinson is brilliant, (assistant manager) Steve Parkin is top class, I love (goalkeeping coach) Aidan Davison to bits, and the co-chairmen are out of this world.
“I’d decided before the end of last season I wanted to do it, because it feels like home. I’ve never joined a football club and felt at ease so quickly.”
Foster kept three clean sheets in his eight appearances to win his second trophy for the club, 18 years after lifting the LDV Vans Trophy while on loan from Stoke in 2005.
Parkinson said: “We’re delighted that Ben has signed for the coming season.
“It’s a key signing for us because we all saw the impact he had, not just on the pitch but also around the training ground, and we are all looking forward to working with him again next season.”
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