Inter 1-2 Lazio: Late Comeback Not Enough For Italian Champions As Lazio Capture Supercoppa

Lazio have beaten Italian Champions Inter 2-1 in Beijing in front of a packed "Bird's Eye" stadium to win the Supercoppa Italiana for the third time in their history.

Inter were the better side for long stretches of the match, but two goals from Matuzalem and Tommaso Rocchi within minutes halfway through the second half ended up being decisive for the Biancocelesti.

Samuel Eto'o scored his first goal with the Inter shirt with ten minutes to ago, but it wasn't enough.

Inter controlled possession in the early stages, but could not really create any chances. In the third minute, Lazio threatened on a counterattack with a shot from outside the area by Matuzalem.

New arrival Samuel Eto’o made a good impression in the early part of the match, and in the 11th minute he showed great skill to dribble past a defender and find Dejan Stankovic alone in the area, but the ball was cleared as far as Diego Milito, whose attempt was blocked out for a corner. On the corner, Lucio tried a header that ended up well over the bar.

Four minutes later, Milito won the ball near the Lazio area and centered it back for the onrushing Eto’o, who fired a powerful shot from just outside the area that was grabbed with some trouble by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

In the 19th minute, there was the first real chance of the match for Lazio, as Mauro Zarate fired a powerful and precise shot that was headed for the top corner, but it was parried away superbly by Julio Cesar.

Inter responded three minutes later, when Eto’o controlled a long ball superbly on the right wing, and played it to Stankovic, whose first time shot from the edge of the area sailed over the bar.

In the 26th minute, Eto’o did well to find space for a dangerous cross into the area from the right wing, but defender Mobido Diakite made a great headed clearence to deny Milito.

On the half hour mark, Inter had a huge chance to open the score, as Sulley Muntari found himself with time and space to shoot from inside the area after the ball bounced off a Lazio defender, but his volley from an ideal position went well over the bar.

Lucio again threatened with a header on a corner kick in the 36th minute, which forced a fine save from Muslera.

Toward the end of the first half the match became more balanced, but there were no further chances for either side before the half time break.

No changes were made by either coach during the break. The first half-chance of the restart came in the 47th minute, when Muntari fired a powerful shot from distance that was comfortably saved by Muslera.

Stankovic did better with another crack from distance three minutes later, forcing Muslera to tip his drive away for a corner. On the corner, Lucio again had a chance with a header from a good position, but the Brazilian defender was unable to direct it well.

Ten minutes into the second half, Eto’o nearly took advantage of a poor back-pass to the keeper by Diakite, stealing the ball away and trying a shot from a difficult position, but it went agonizingly wide.

It was all Inter at this point of the match, and in the 57th minute Milito dribbled past Diakite and took a shot towards the near post, which was parried away for a corner by Muslera. Two minutes later, ‘the Prince’ went for a shot from the edge of the area, which forced another superb save from the Lazio goalkeeper.

Out of nothing, Lazio managed to take a fortunate lead in the 63rd minute. Aleksandar Kolarov fired a free kick low, and after a couple of deflections it fell to Matuzalem, whose shot was initially brilliantly saved by Julio Cesar, but then the ball bounced back on his face and went in to make it 1-0 to the Coppa Italia winners.

It was completely against the run of play at that point, but it got worse for the Nerazzurri three minutes later, when Tommaso Rocchi latched onto a long pass from midfield and lobbed the ball brilliantly over Julio Cesar from the edge of the area.

Inter initially looked shocked after this, but they were handed a lifeline in the 78th minute, when near the area Ousmane Dabo lost the ball to substitute Mario Balotelli, who then played the ball to Eto’o who made no mistake with his shot from inside the area.

The Italian champions thought they had equalised in the 85th minute, when Milito beat Muslera with a shot toward the bottom corner from inside the area, but the goal was correctly disallowed because Eto’o was in an offside position in front of the goalkeeper.

In the first of five minutes of extra time, Eto’o came extremely close to equalising with a free kick from a good position, sending the ball inches wide of the top corner.

With seconds to go, substitute David Suazo also went close to scoring with a header on a corner kick, which was saved by the always alert Muslera.

That was the last chance of an entertaining match. Inter failed to win their second consecutive Supercoppa Italiana, but they still left a decent impression and can count themselves unlucky not to have forced an extra time period.

Danilo Pochini

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