Internazionale v Lecce Live Commentary & Result, 5/3/23, Serie A

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	NAP Napoli	38	28	6	4	77	28	+49	90	W D W L W
2	LAZ Lazio	38	22	8	8	60	30	+30	74	W W W D L
3	INT Internazionale	38	23	3	12	71	42	+29	72	W W L W W
4	MIL Milan	38	20	10	8	64	43	+21	70	W W W L W
5	ATA Atalanta	38	19	7	12	66	48	+18	64	W L W L L
6	ROM Roma	38	18	9	11	50	38	+12	63	W L D D L
7	JUV Juventus	38	22	6	10	56	33	+23	62	W L L W W
8	FIO Fiorentina	38	15	11	12	53	43	+10	56	W W D W L
9	BOL Bologna	38	14	12	12	53	49	+4	54	W D W D D
10	TOR Torino	38	14	11	13	42	41	+1	53	L W D W D
11	MON Monza	38	14	10	14	48	52	-4	52	L L W W D
12	UDI Udinese	38	11	13	14	47	48	-1	46	L L L L W
13	SAS Sassuolo	38	12	9	17	47	61	-14	45	L D L L D
14	EMP Empoli	38	10	13	15	37	49	-12	43	L D W D W
15	SAL Salernitana	38	9	15	14	48	62	-14	42	L W D W L
16	LEC Lecce	38	8	12	18	33	46	-13	36	L W D D L
17	SPE Spezia	38	6	13	19	31	62	-31	31	L L D W L
18	VER Hellas Verona	38	7	10	21	31	59	-28	31	L D L L W
19	CRE Cremonese	38	5	12	21	36	69	-33	27	W L L L W
20	SAM Sampdoria	38	3	10	25	24	71	-47	19	L D L D L

That's all for today. Thank you for following our live coverage. Until next time, goodbye!

Inter will look to build on their momentum when they travel to relegation-battling Spezia on Friday. As for Lecce, they host mid-table Torino two days later.

Goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lautaro Martinez helped Inter to a routine 2-0 victory over Lecce at San Siro. Simone Inzaghi's side close the gap on runaway leaders Napoli to 15 points. Meanwhile, it is now back-to-back defeats for the visitors, who remain 15th in the table.

90' + 4' FULL-TIME: INTER 2-0 LECCE

90' + 3' At the other end, Zanotti launches a quick counter before feeding Dzeko, who cuts inside before seeing his right-footed shot blocked.

90' + 2' Lecce attempt one final surge as Banda tries his luck from distance, but the low effort drifts well wide of the target.

M. Zanotti

R. Gosens

90' + 1' Zanotti makes his first league appearance of the season as he comes on for the final moments in place of Gosens.

90' A neat move almost culminated in Dzeko latching onto a cushioned header into his path. However, Falcone was quickly out of goal to gather.

89' After a brief late rally by the visitors, Inter have regained control of possession as the clock ticks down towards three points.

87' You must go back to 2004 for the last time Lecce won three successive away games in Serie A. Barring a miraculous turnaround here, that wait will continue.

85' The double-change came just after Hjulmand met Pezzella's cross from the left, directing his header wide of the far post.

Þ. Helgason

Joan Gonzàlez

83' Helgason replaces Gonzalez in the visitors' other substitution.

L. Banda

F. Di Francesco

82' Di Francesco makes way for Banda in one of two more changes for Lecce.

80' Inter neatly maintain possession as we enter the final 10 minutes at San Siro. This will surely be a fifth successive victory on home soil.

R. Gagliardini

H. Çalhanoğlu

78' Gagliardini also enters the action for the final 12 minutes with Calhanoglu making way.

D. D'Ambrosio

D. Dumfries

78' Another double-change from Inter. The first sees D'Ambrosio replace Dumfries.

77' After a lengthy spell of Inter pressure, Lecce look to respond and build a neat move down the left flank, but cannot subsequently turn the ball towards goal.

76' Currently on 49 Serie A goals, Lukaku is one away from becoming only the fourth player to hit half a century in the Italian top flight and the Premier League. The other players to achieve the feat are Dzeko, Gianfranco Zola and Cristiano Ronaldo.

74' Falcone quickly races out of goal to prevent Lukaku from latching onto a throughball. However, the offside flag is subsequently raised.

73' Of course, Napoli are surely closing in on their first Serie A title since the 1989-90 season. Ironically, the goal that clinched the Scudetto was scored by Lecce coach Baroni.

M. Brozović

H. Mkhitaryan

71' Mkhitaryan, who opened the scoring, also makes way with Brozovic taking his place.

R. Lukaku

Lautaro Martínez

71' Inter make a double-change. Martinez, the scorer of the second goal, is replaced by Lukaku.

69' We are heading towards the final 20 minutes at San Siro. As things stand, Inter would leapfrog Lazio into second place, while reducing the deficit on runaway leaders Napoli to 15 points.

67' Inter want a penalty as Gosens goes to ground under Blin's challenge. The wing-back stays down but, following consultation with VAR, the referee decides against pointing to the spot.

S. Romagnoli

A. Tuia

65' Lecce make another change as Tuia is replaced by Romagnoli.

64' I Giallorossi have not gone unbeaten in consecutive visits to San Siro since 2000. It is looking increasingly likely that the wait will go on after today.

62' Lecce continue to live dangerously. This time, sloppy play in the wrong area culminates in Gosens crossing from the left, but the visitors deal with the delivery.

60' At the other end, Oudin is immediately involved with his long-range shot deflecting behind for a corner. But the threat eventually comes to nothing as Ceesay overhits his cross.

58' With the high press, Inter win the ball in a dangerous area and go straight on the attack. Barella whips in a cross from the right, but Lecce recover to deal with it.

A. Blin

Y. Maleh

57' Blin also enters the action in place of Maleh.

R. Oudin

Gabriel Strefezza

57' Lecce make a double-change. The first sees Oudin replace Strefezza.

55' Inter now seem well on course for a ninth successive victory over Lecce in Serie A. The Nerazzurri have scored 22 goals during that span.

D. Dumfries

Assist

53' Dumfries burst away down the right before brilliantly picking out Martinez.

Lautaro Martínez

Goal

53' MARTINEZ!!! 2-0 INTER! The hosts doubled their lead courtesy of the skipper! Neat play releases Dumfries down the right. The wing-back sends in a low cross that is brilliantly steered home by Martinez.

51' Lukaku began warming up on the touchline after Martinez went down. The Belgium international has scored two goals in his last three Serie A appearances against Lecce.

49' After receiving brief attention, both players are back on their feet and the match resumes.

48' There is an early break in play with Martinez and Umtiti both down following separate incidents. Both should be fine to continue, though.

46' Inter get the ball rolling once more.

Can Lecce respond? Although they were outplayed for most of the first half, the visitors will take confidence from only trailing by a single goal. However, they do need to show a lot more upon the contest's resumption.

Inter lead Lecce 1-0 at half-time thanks to Henrikh Mkhitaryan's lovely strike. The Nerazzurri certainly deserve their advantage having dominated large periods of the first half. Simone Inzaghi will be urging his players to produce more of the same after the break.

45' + 3' HALF-TIME: INTER 1-0 LECCE

45' + 1' Tuia returns to the action in the first of three additional minutes at the end of this first half.

45' There is a break in play with Tuia in need of medical attention. The Lecce defender eventually makes his way to the touchline.

43' There are two minutes remaining in the first half with Inter a goal to the good. They are certainly good value for their lead, still enjoying well over 70 per cent of the possession.

41' Dzeko plays a neat one-two with Dumfries before whipping in a fierce cross. Martinez connects in the area, but cannot keep his header down.

39' Lecce's task is even more difficult when you consider that Inter have conceded just six goals at San Siro this term. Prior to this weekend, only Barcelona and Roma had let in fewer on home soil in the big five European leagues.

37' GREAT TACKLE! Dumfries bursts into the Lecce area after a neat touch from Dzeko sends him on his way. But Gendrey produces a brilliantly timed sliding challenge to stop him in his tracks.

36' If Lecce are to turn this contest on its head, they must do what no side has managed since October. Indeed, you must go back to then for the last time Inter conceded twice on home soil - doing so in a 2-1 defeat by Roma.

34' Lecce seek a swift response and Gonzalez is found in space. Although 30 yards from goal, the midfielder cannot resist, but his ambitious effort is always rising.

33' Inter have finally made their dominance tell. The Nerazzurri have enjoyed a whopping 82 per cent of possession, and eventually capitalised whilst in the ascendancy.

31' That was Mkhitaryan's third goal of the season in Serie A and he took it absolutely superbly.

N. Barella

Assist

29' Barella demonstrated brilliant trickery and composure to maintain possession under pressure from the recovering Lecce defence, before setting it for Mkhitaryan to finish in sublime fashion.

H. Mkhitaryan

Goal

29' MKHITARYAN!!! 1-0 INTER! A clever Martinez touch releases Gosens on the counter. He sweeps the ball into Barella, who neatly tees it up for Mkhitaryan to guide into the top corner from just inside the box.

27' Inter are awarded a free-kick 25 yards from goal. The ball ricochets back to Calhanoglu, who sent his initial delivery straight into the wall, before he fires wide of the target.

25' Dumfries threatens to launch another attack down the right flank. However, the Netherlands international's momentum halts when he loses his footing, allowing Tuia to thwart the danger.

22' Not in the greatest form, Dzeko is seeking only his third goal in 14 Serie A appearances in 2023. That comes after he netted seven times in his final 13 games of 2022.

20' CHANCE! Dzeko is unmarked as he meets Calhanoglu's corner with his head, but the striker plants the ball wide of the target. It seems the recovering Gendrey did just about enough to put him off.

19' Ceesay is then caught in possession and Inter neatly work the ball out to the left. A deep cross is sent in searching for Dumfries at the far post, but Pezzella heads away for a corner.

17' It was worth a go. Lecce steal possession and Ceesay has space to run into. The forward eventually lets fly from 25 yards, and Onana is forced to get down and prevent his fierce strike from creeping into the bottom corner.

16' A neat touch from Dzeko releases Barella down the right flank. He crosses for the far post, where Gosens is arriving, but Gonzalez heads away before he can get there.

15' Only Cremonese and Empoli have conceded more goals from corners than Lecce this season (six). However, the visitors stand firm on this occasion.

13' Inter embark on a swift counter down the right and Dumfries' dangerous cross is turned behind for a corner by the alert Tuia.

12' I Giallorossi have won just one of their last 13 Serie A meetings with Inter. That sole success came in January 2012, when Guillermo Giacomazzi scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory.

10' Lecce enjoy their first venture forward and the ball reaches Maleh inside the box. But the Inter defence swiftly crowd him out and clear the danger.

8' Dzeko attempts an ambitious volley from distance. However, it is high and wide and never going to trouble the goalkeeper.

7' After receiving attention from the medical team, Martinez makes his way to the touchline and eventually returns to the action.

5' Inter maintain their early pressure and a deep free-kick eventually ricochets to Martinez. But Tuia prevents the World Cup winner from getting a shot away with a well-timed sliding challenge. Although, the Argentina international is in need of attention after he was caught on the follow-through.

3' The hosts quickly take control of possession. Following a lengthy period deep in Lecce territory, the ball breaks kindly for Calhanoglu, who unleashes a fierce 20-yard strike that Falcone is forced to push away to safety.

1' Referee Gianluca Manganiello blows his whistle and Lecce get the match under way.

The players make their way out onto the field and kick-off is moments away.

The form book makes this a tricky one to call. Inter have won their last four home games, conceding just once during that span. Meanwhile, Lecce have prevailed in their last two away outings.

Marco Baroni also makes three alterations for Lecce from their loss to Sassuolo. Umtiti replaces Federico Baschirotto in the heart of defence, with Gonzalez and Di Francesco also drafted into the starting line-up.

Simone Inzaghi makes three changes from Inter's 1-0 defeat at Bologna last week. Dzeko partners Martinez up front with Lukaku dropping to the bench, while Acerbi and Barella replace De Vrij and Brozovic respectively.

SUBS: Marco Bleve, Simone Romagnoli, Kristoffer Askildsen, Lorenzo Colombo, Thorir Johann Helgason, Pietro Ceccaroni, Federico Brancolini, Lameck Banda, Antonino Gallo, Remi Oudin, Alexis Blin, Mats Lemmens, Tommaso Cassandro.

LECCE (4-3-3): Wladimiro Falcone; Valentin Gendrey, Alessandro Tuia, Samuel Umtiti, Giuseppe Pezzella; Joan Gonzalez, Morten Hjulmand, Youssef Maleh; Gabriel Strefezza, Assan Ceesay, Federico Di Francesco.

SUBS: Samir Handanovic, Roberto Gagliardini, Stefan de Vrij, Raoul Bellanova, Kristjan Asllani, Alex Cordaz, Danilo D'Ambrosio, Valentin Carboni, Mattia Zanotti, Marcelo Brozovic, Romelu Lukaku.

INTER (3-1-4-2): Andre Onana; Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Nicolo Barella; Denzel Dumfries, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Hakan Calhanoglu, Robin Gosens; Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko.

Inter are aiming to return to second place in the Italian top flight with a win here. Meanwhile, victory for 15th-place Lecce would move them 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

Hello everyone and welcome to live text coverage of the Serie A showdown between Inter and Lecce.

Internazionale v Lecce Live Commentary, 6/3/23

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