Hellas Verona 0-6 Inter: Dzeko and Martinez at the double in rampant Nerazzurri win

By Sports Desk May 03, 2023

Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez headlined a spectacular Inter performance as they dismantled relegation-threatened Hellas Verona in a 6-0 victory in Serie A, scoring two goals apiece.

The Nerazzurri ran riot against their hosts at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi to boost their Champions League qualification prospects on Wednesday.

A long-range strike from Hakan Calhanoglu and an Adolfo Gaich own goal piled further misery on Verona, helping Simone Inzaghi's visitors move back above Atalanta into Serie A's top four.

The victory also proved an emphatic warm-up for their upcoming Champions League semi-final tie against rivals Milan, though for Verona and Marco Zaffaroni, it leaves them grasping at straws in their battle for safety.

Inter laid siege to the Verona box from the first whistle, though they had to wait half an hour for their opener, Gaich turning Federico Dimarco's cross into his own net following a string of great Lorenzo Montipo saves.

The attacker's calamitous intervention unlocked the floodgates for the Nerazzurri, who doubled their lead six minutes later when Calhanoglu lofted a spectacular 30-yard effort into the top-left corner after he was left unmarked. 

A prompt error from the restart by Verona allowed Martinez to capitalise, sending Dzeko away on the break for a smooth finish, and the visitors had effectively sealed the game before half-time had even come into view.

There was more punishment to come for the hosts however, with Martinez offering just 10 minutes of respite after the interval before he chipped Montipo for the fourth to keep the onslaught going.

Dzeko nabbed his double shortly past the hour mark after sweeping home a low finish from a counter-attack, and Martinez joined him with a two-goal haul in the final seconds after a scrappy close-range effort.

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    Barca thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu last weekend to establish a six-point lead in LaLiga but their city rivals Espanyol are 20 points behind and languishing in 17th place, a point above the relegation zone.

    Yet Flick feels it is wrong that LaLiga is playing on in the wake of the flash floods that have devastated regions of eastern Spain, with Valencia particularly impacted.

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    "If it were me, I might [suspend LaLiga] because it is an incredible tragedy for Valencia and Spain as a whole," Flick said.

    "We have spoken with Ferran [Torres] who is from the area, and it is not easy to decide whether the game should be played or not.

    "It is a tragedy. It was something similar in Germany three years ago, it is horrible. We will do everything we can to help. The rest is for LaLiga to decide." 

    Barca do hold a brilliant record against Espanyol, having not lost in their last 26 encounters with their city rivals.

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    "I know what a Barca-Espanyol derby means. It will be a tough match, for sure. After a fantastic week, it is important to be at 100% tomorrow, with intensity and maximum quality," Flick said.

    "We always prepare well for the next game. After the celebrations, we focus on the next game. We work on what we want tomorrow. It's a very long game in the league and we focus on the next game."

    Barca have taken 30 points from their first 11 league matches this season, their second-highest tally at this stage of a campaign in the competition, after 31 points in the 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2017-18 seasons.

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    Isak headed home from a pinpoint Anthony Gordon cross to tally up his third goal in three successive appearances in all competitions.

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    "It was always going to take a moment like that as it was a game of few chances."

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