Internazionale v Udinese Live Commentary & Result, 18/2/23, Serie A

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	NAP Napoli	37	27	6	4	75	28	+47	87	D W L W D
2	LAZ Lazio	37	21	8	8	58	30	+28	71	W W D L W
3	INT Internazionale	37	22	3	12	70	42	+28	69	W L W W W
4	MIL Milan	37	19	10	8	61	42	+19	67	W W L W D
5	ATA Atalanta	37	18	7	12	61	46	+15	61	L W L L W
6	ROM Roma	37	17	9	11	48	37	+11	60	L D D L D
7	JUV Juventus	37	21	6	10	55	33	+22	59	L L W W W
8	TOR Torino	37	14	11	12	42	40	+2	53	W D W D W
9	FIO Fiorentina	37	14	11	12	50	42	+8	53	W D W L D
10	MON Monza	37	14	10	13	46	47	-1	52	L W W D D
11	BOL Bologna	37	13	12	12	50	47	+3	51	D W D D L
12	UDI Udinese	37	11	13	13	47	47	0	46	L L L W D
13	SAS Sassuolo	37	12	9	16	46	58	-12	45	D L L D L
14	EMP Empoli	37	10	13	14	37	47	-10	43	D W D W W
15	SAL Salernitana	37	9	15	13	48	60	-12	42	W D W L D
16	LEC Lecce	37	8	12	17	31	43	-12	36	W D D L L
17	SPE Spezia	37	6	13	18	30	60	-30	31	L D W L L
18	VER Hellas Verona	37	7	10	20	30	56	-26	31	D L L W L
19	CRE Cremonese	37	4	12	21	34	69	-35	24	L L L W D
20	SAM Sampdoria	37	3	10	24	24	69	-45	19	D L D L L

That concludes our commentary of the Serie A fixture between Inter and Udinese! We hope you’ve enjoyed it!

Inter host Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday, ahead of a meeting with Bologna next Sunday. Udinese welcome Spezia to the Dacia Arena in eight days.

A tight affair despite the score, Inter earn all three points at the Giuseppe Meazza, beating Udinese by three goals to one. Lukaku’s early penalty was cancelled out in the late stages of the first half by Lovric, who gave his side something to hold onto in the second half. Legs started to tire however, and Inter took full advantage of this; stretching play and hitting with pace in transition down the flanks. Mkhitaryan’s lovely first-time, inside-foot volley would ultimately give Inter the win but Martinez would also atone for an earlier gilt-edged chance missed with a powerful finish just before added time to add a bit of gloss on top. The win keeps Inter second, three points ahead of Milan, while Udinese stay ninth.

90' + 5' FULL-TIME: INTER 3-1 UDINESE.

90' + 3' Samardzic’s late Udinese corner fails to find a team-mate as Gagliardini heads it away from his position on the six-yard line.

90' + 1' Success wins the ball in midfield from Calhanoglu and charges towards goal but the striker pulls his shot wide of the far post!

D. D'Ambrosio

Assist

89' One substitute combines with another as D'Ambrosio supplies the assist for Martinez's strike.

Lautaro Martínez

Goal

89' THIS TIME HE PUTS IT IN! 3-1! D’Ambrosio hoists a long pass over the top of the Udinese defence for Martinez, who holds Bijol off with strength and determination before slotting his finish past Silvestri! He makes amends for the earlier miss and gives Inter a virtually unassailable lead at this stage!

88' MARTINEZ CAN’T PUT THE FINISHING TOUCHES! A turnover in midfield gives Inter a chance to seal the result with Martinez bearing down on goal but the Argentina international opts for the dinked finish over Silvestri, instead putting it over the crossbar!

86' Udinese have scored only one goal with their strikers in Serie A in 2023 (Beto v Bologna on January 15th), fewer than any other side since the turn of the year.

R. Gagliardini

H. Mkhitaryan

84' It's Gagliardini who's selected to replace Mkhitaryan with six minutes remaining.

83' Mkhitaryan is down on the pitch holding his foot after a 50-50 challenge with Udogie. It looks as though the goal scorer will be unable to continue as he hobbles off, with a replacement ready in the wings.

81' Barella’s cross to the back post is kept in play by Gosens, who intelligently brings the ball under his control before winning a throw-in to take more time off the clock.

R. Gosens

F. Dimarco

79' Gosens comes in for Dimarco with Inzaghi making a change at wing-back.

78' Inter have won their last four Serie A meetings against Udinese at the Meazza, and only once have they won more in a row (five between 1984 and 1989).

L. Samardžić

R. Pereyra

76' Samardzic also takes the place of Pereyra, who looked to be struggling a bit in the minutes preceeding the goal.

F. Ebosele

Beto

76' Substitution Norberto Bercique Gomes Betuncal Festy Oseiwe Ebosele

T. Arslan

S. Lovrić

75' Arslan comes in for Lovric with Udinese now in need of a goal.

F. Dimarco

Assist

73' Dimarco's perfectly weighted ball is the assist on Inter's second goal of the contest.

H. Mkhitaryan

Goal

73' MKHITARYAN GIVES INTER THE LEAD! 2-1! GREAT GOAL! An Udinese chance squandered by Success at one end provides the hosts with an opportunity of their own on the counter-attack! Calhanoglu drives through the space left in midfield and finds Dimarco, who almost immediately pulls a low cross back to the edge of the 18-yard box. Mkhitaryan is first to the spot and meets the delivery with a side-foot volley that beats a scrambling Silvestri!

71' Mkhitaryan combines well with Barella in a tight space ahead of the penalty area, with the Italy international laying it off for Martinez. The striker looks to hit the effort first time but he slips while attempting to make a connection, leading to an easy save for Silvestri.

69' Calhanoglu takes a corner looking to test the goalkeeper, with Silvestri coming off his line and breaking through the crowd of bodies to punch it away.

68' Barella is given time and space to work a cross into the penalty area but his scuffed, miscued pass dribbles slowly into the penalty area where Pereyra is waiting to intercept.

Lautaro Martínez

R. Lukaku

66' Martinez is also sent on with the hosts looking to take the lead. The previously booked Lukaku is brought off.

H. Çalhanoğlu

M. Brozović

66' Calhanoglu comes on for Brozovic in a midfield swap for Inter.

65' GREAT SAVE! Mkhitaryan plays a one-two pass with Dimarco on the edge of the penalty area but the ensuing shot is pushed away by the diving Silvestri!

64' Lovric has the chance to play Lovric through towards goal but again the striker’s first touch lets him down, allowing D’Ambrosio and Dumfries to converge.

62' Lovric takes an Udinese corner-kick short to Pereyra, who picks his head up and turns before whipping a cross into the penalty area. It’s met by Becao between two covering defenders but his volley is sent into the turf and over the crossbar.

I. Success

F. Thauvin

61' Thauvin comes off just after the hour, with Success ready to replace him in attack.

59' Dzeko again battles with Bijol near the coach’s area, with the striker winning another free-kick from his opponent. The Inter player takes it quickly looking to release Lukaku inside the penalty area but Silvestri is quick off his line to meet the delivery.

57' Becao fires an ambitious, low shot towards goal from 25 yards out but it fails to hit the target, with a number of queuing team-mates unable to get anything to the effort either.

55' Mkhitaryan shapes a lovely cross to the far post for Dumfries, who pops his header up and over the crossbar.

54' Dimarco wins a corner off Becao and immediately goes over to take it, sending a left-footed outswinger into the six-yard box. It’s missed by everybody in the area, with Barella able to reclaim possession on the opposite wing.

52' Dimarco delivers a dangerous cross inside the six-yard box for Dzeko but the connection is intercepted by a perfectly timed Bijol intervention.

50' Bastoni goes long in search of Dumfries, with the wing-back nodding down the switch for Lukaku. The Belgium international is immediately swarmed by defenders however and loses possession near the right corner-flag.

48' Dimarco and Mkhitaryan stand over the free-kick but it’s the wing-back who sends an outswinging delivery towards the penalty spot but it’s initially blocked by Beto before D’Ambrosio turns it behind for a goal-kick.

J. Bijol

Yellow Card

47' Bijol is shown a yellow card for a sliding challenge on Dzeko in front of Inzaghi’s technical area.

46' Inter get the match restarted from the kick-off!

D. D'Ambrosio

M. Darmian

46' D'Ambrosio comes in for Darmian in a half-time change for the hosts.

Inzaghi has quite the conundrum on his hands at half-time, after his side gave up the lead late. With one eye on a midweek Champions League tie against Porto, the coach will have to be very smart with how he uses his substitutions. Calhanoglu or Asllani could make an appearance in the second half to liven up the midfield, while Dzeko seems the likeliest to make way for Martinez - should he be required. Udinese have the steady presence of Arslan at their disposal from the bench, while Success could pop up with a goal should he get the chance.

A tight and cagey first half at the Giuseppe Meazza ends with the sides all-square, level with one goal apiece. Lukaku opened the scoring after 20 minutes with a retaken penalty that beat Silvestri after his initial effort was saved by Silvestri, who had strayed off his line in the run-up, necessitating a re-take. What followed was a spell of relatively low quality, with both three-man midfields cancelling each other out to force attacking moves down the flanks. Lovric would get one back with just two minutes left in regulation time, with an intercepted Lukaku pass setting Udinese away on a counter-attack that was finished with clinical ruthlessness.

45' + 4' HALF-TIME: INTER 1-1 UDINESE.

45' + 3' GREAT SAVE! Dimarco’s delivery from the set-piece finds the head of Acerbi on the penalty spot but the centre-back is unable to work Silvestri, who gets down well to make the save.

45' + 2' Mkhitaryan is taken down by an overzealous Lovric, who gives Inter one last chance to threaten Silvestri with a free-kick.

45' The fourth official indicates three minutes will be added to the end of the half for stoppages.

R. Pereyra

Assist

43' Pereyra gets the assist for Udinese's equaliser!

S. Lovrić

Goal

43' UDINESE EQUALISE LATE IN THE HALF! 1-1! Lukaku’s pass out to the left is intercepted by Ehizibue, who immediately pokes a pass forward for Pereyra. Looking to make amends for his earlier poor cross, the captain plays a lovely switch of play to the other side of the penalty area, where Lovric pops up and beats Handanovic with a curling shot!

41' Thauvin is again in charge of the set-pieces but his latest delivery fails to catch Inter off-guard, with Dumfries clearing the danger with his head easily.

M. Darmian

Yellow Card

39' Darmian slides into a challenge on Udogie and takes him down near the touchline, giving Udinese a chance to swing in a cross from a free-kick. It’s also a yellow card for the Inter defender - the second of the game.

38' Inter have lost just one of their last 10 Serie A meetings against Udinese (W7 D2), but it was the most recent one, last September – Udinese could win both their seasonal league games against the Nerazzurri for the first time since 2012/13, under Francesco Guidolin.

36' The two sides have done well to effectively counter each other, with the three-man midfields stifling play through the heart of the pitch. It has been a battle of the wing-backs so far, with Udinese especially, rarely coming through the middle to attack.

34' Udinese’s latest set-piece is drilled low to the awaiting Lovric just outside the penalty area but his driven shot smacks off the face of Dzeko to prevent Handanovic from being called into action.

32' Barella scoops a volleyed cross towards the far post following Dimarco’s repelled delivery from the left but the Italy international sends it high over the head of Bastoni and out for an Udinese throw-in.

30' Thauvin again looks to create something from an inswinging free-kick but Inter’s organised set-piece defending denies the visitors any chances, with Brozovic getting the ball up the pitch.

28' A scrappy spell of play ends with an Udinese free-kick after first Lovric then Udogie are brought down, with Dumfries the offending party.

26' Thauvin swings a corner in towards the edge of the six-yard box, where it receives a clearing touch from Dzeko.

24' A promising Udinese move once again comes to nothing thanks to a poor touch from Beto, who has had a tough time controlling the ball today. His initial poke takes him into Barella near the technical area, with a few Inter coaches having words with the striker.

A. Masina

Yellow Card

22' Masina is also shown a yellow card, just four minutes after coming on to replace Ebosse.

R. Lukaku

Yellow Card

22' Lukaku's had a busy two minutes as he's now shown a yellow card for his involvement in a scuffle with Masina.

R. Lukaku

Penalty Goal

20' LUKAKU SAVES HIS BLUSHES! 1-0 INTER! The Belgium international steps up and initially sees his penalty saved brilliantly by Silvestri but after a moment the referee blows his whistle and indicates a retake needs to be done as the goalkeeper was off his line. The striker makes no mistake with his second effort however, sending it the same way but this time beating his opponent!

A. Masina

E. Ebosse

18' Udinese are finally allowed to make the change, a full five minutes after Ebosse made way from the pitch. Masina is on in his place.

17' PENALTY TO INTER! The referee is called back to the earlier passage of play and reviews Walace’s block on Dumfries. It appears as though the Udinese midfielder left the ground and made contact with the wing-back recklessly, as the match official comes back from his review to point to the spot!

15' GREAT BLOCK! Barella plays Lukaku into the penalty area, with the striker charging towards the byline. He manages to cut back a pass for Dzeko in the face of Bijol but Becao comes steaming through to block the shot before it could cross the line. The bouncing ball then falls to Dumfries but Walace is in quick to deny a second Inter player in quick succession!

13' Ebosse has gone down for a second time in minutes, holding his knee after an earlier tangle with Lukaku. After initially attempting to run it off it appears as though the centre-back will be unable to continue, as he walks slowly towards the touchline with two members of staff assisting him.

11' Thauvin scoops a free-kick from 40 yards out towards the penalty area for Beto but Acerbi is first to the delivery, clearing his lines in the process.

9' Barella is claiming he should be awarded a penalty after a tussle with Udogie inside the 18-yard box but the referee remains unconvinced, giving Udinese a goal-kick to restart play.

7' Udogie steps across Dumfries after the Inter wing-back had played his pass to Handanovic, with the referee on-sight to make the decision. It’s a free-kick to the hosts but nothing more.

5' Dimarco takes Inter’s first corner of the match towards the near post for Bastoni but Udinese manage to scramble it away after initially allowing the ball to roll through the crowd of bodies.

4' Beto gives the ball away cheaply in midfield but Inter can’t capitalise, with Dimarco’s cross from the left flank blocked emphatically by Ehizibue.

3' Ebosse finds Lovric in midfield but the ensuing pass forward for Beto is overhit, allowing Handanovic to stride off his line to collect the loose ball.

1' Udinese get the match underway from the kick-off!

Udinese make two changes to the XI that drew Sassuolo 2-2 six days ago. Ebosse comes in for Nehuen Perez in defence and Thauvin is selected to play in attack ahead of Samardzic, which drops Pereyra into midfield.

Inter make six changes from the side that earned a 0-0 draw with Sampdoria last time out. Handanovic gets the start in goal against his former team, replacing Onana, while Bastoni gets the nod ahead of De Vrij in defence. A change in wing-backs see Dimarco and Dumfries come in for Gosens and Skriniar - which pushes Darmian into a centre-back role. Brozovic is preferred to Calhanoglu in midfield and Dzeko partners Lukaku in attack - in for Martinez.

UDINESE SUBS: Festy Ebosele, Leonardo Buta, Lazar Samardzic, Daniele Padelli, James Abankwah, Edoardo Piana, Tolgay Arslan, Simone Pafundi, Adam Masina, Isaac Success.

UDINESE XI (5-3-2): Marco Silvestri; Kingsley Ehizibue, Rodrigo Becao, Jaka Bijol, Enzo Ebosse, Destiny Udogie; Roberto Pereyra, Walace, Sandi Lovric; Florian Thauvin, Beto.

INTER SUBS: Roberto Gagliardini, Robin Gosens, Alex Cordaz, Andre Onana, Raoul Bellanova, Danilo D’Ambrosio, Lautaro Martinez, Kristjan Asllani, Mattia Zanotti, Stefan De Vrij, Valentin Carboni, Hakan Calhanoglu, Milan Skriniar.

INTER XI (5-3-2): Samir Handanovic; Federico Dimarco, Alessandro Bastoni, Francesco Acerbi, Matteo Darmian, Denzel Dumfries; Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marcelo Brozovic, Nicolo Barella; Romelu Lukaku, Edin Dzeko.

With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, let's take a look at how the two sides are lining up - starting with our hosts!

Ninth-place Udinese have had a difficult start to the new calendar year, winning just one of their seven matches to start 2023. A pair of draws with a loss to Torino wedged in between leaves the Friulani nine points back of the final European place after 22 matches, with Juventus and Monza both a point behind.

Inter’s 0-0 draw with relegation-battling Sampdoria on Monday kept the Nerazzurri in second place, though it allowed Napoli to open up an 18-point gap at the top of the table. Level with city rivals Milan who won earlier today, a win for Simone Inzaghi’s side could provide some much-needed space ahead of the rest of the chasing pack - with a trio of sides all within three points of Inter.

Hello and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the Serie A fixture between Inter and Udinese!

Internazionale v Udinese Live Commentary, 19/2/23

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