Spezia v Internazionale Live Commentary & Result, 10/3/23, 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's all for today, goodbye!

The win means that Spezia are now six points clear of the relegation zone whereas Inter are in danger of dropping out of the top four now. Spezia travel to Sassuolo for their next game while Inter play Porto in the Champions League before hosting Juventus in the league.

Despite Inter registering a lot of attempts in the first half, it was a fairly quiet affair apart from a penalty in the 13th minute. A trip to the VAR monitor showed that Caldara fouled D'Ambrosio in the box, but Martinez's penalty was saved by Dragowski. The goalkeeper made a further four saves in the half while his attacking team-mates did not take a single shot. Inter were patient with their build-up but could not find a breakthrough as the first period ended 0-0. The second half started with a surprise as Maldini scored for Spezia with their first shot of the game. Nzola held the ball up brilliantly for his team-mate as the Milan loanee scored past Handanovic. The game was fairly quiet before bursting back into life in the 83rd minute. Lukaku scored from the spot after Dumfries drew a foul in the box. However the defender then conceded a penalty two minutes later, which Nzola dispatched past the goalkeeper. Spezia were able to defend their advantage this time and won 2-1 against the Italian giants.

90' + 7' FULL TIME: SPEZIA 2-1 INTER

90' + 6' WIDE! Lukaku has one final chance for Inter after the ball breaks for him in the box, but he drags the ball wide with his weaker foot!

90' + 4' Spezia are running the clock down at every possible opportunity and playing long passes to Nzola to keep the ball away from their goal.

90' + 2' Inter are committing almost everyone forward to try and find a late equaliser. A defeat today would put their top-four place at risk.

90' There will be a minimum of six additional minutes.

P. Wiśniewski

D. Maldini

89' Wisniewski replaces half-time substitute Maldini as Spezia look to secure all three points.

89' Spezia are now defending deep in their half as they know a win today would give them a huge boost in the fight for safety.

M'Bala Nzola

Penalty Goal

87' GOALL!! 2-1 SPEZIA!! NZOLA!! Nzola scores from the spot to put Spezia back into the lead. He takes a slow run-up before smashing the ball past Handanovic, who dives the right way. The striker runs into the crowd to celebrate the goal.

85' PENALTY! The referee awards his third penalty of the game, but this time it goes to Spezia! Dumfries runs into the back of Kovalenko, forcing the referee to point to the spot.

85' Spezia have conceded 11 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half this season, only Cremonese (12) have conceded more in the Serie A.

R. Lukaku

Penalty Goal

83' GOALLL!! 1-1 INTER!! LUKAKU!! Lukaku equalises from the penalty spot for Inter! He steps up after Martinez’s miss earlier in the game and sends Dragowski the wrong way. Game on!

82' PENALTY! Inter win their second penalty of the match after Ferrer fouls Dumfries in the box!

Salvador Ferrer

E. Gyasi

81' Gyasi can no longer continue due to an injury and makes way for Ferrer.

V. Carboni

M. Darmian

80' Carboni replaces Darmian as Inter's fifth and final change of the game.

79' Dzeko wins a header in the box after a long ball from Calhanoglu, but he cannot find a team-mate with his knock down.

77' The referee has a word with Inzaghi after the manager encroached onto the pitch to give the ball to Darmian for a throw-in. Many Spezia fans are not happy with this.

75' Lukaku's hold up play is Inter's best asset for the time being, but the cross or final pass following the striker's play is not good enough to test Dragowski.

73' The four substitutions Inzaghi made have not helped Inter so far. They are still lacking rhythm in and around the box while Spezia look to see the game through now.

D. Nikolaou

Yellow Card

71' Nikolaou goes into the referee's book after bringing Dumfries down on the counter-attack.

69' Spezia are reverting to a more defensive shape as they look to soak up any pressure and hit Inter on the counter.

V. Kovalenko

K. Agudelo

67' Kovalenko replaces Agudelo in midfield for Spezia.

E. Džeko

H. Mkhitaryan

66' Dzeko comes on for Mkhitaryan as Inzaghi adds another attacker to the frontline.

D. Dumfries

D. D'Ambrosio

66' D'Ambrosio makes way for Dumfries as Inter's third change.

F. Dimarco

R. Gosens

66' Dimarco comes on for Gosens on the left side of the Inter midfield.

H. Çalhanoğlu

N. Barella

66' Calhanoglu replaces Barella as Inter's first change of the game.

65' Both sides are preparing substitutions to try and swing the game in their favour with just under 30 minutes to go.

63' Martinez and Barella combine on the edge of the box before the latter has a chance to score. The midfielder takes too long to decide what he wants to do and Spezia win a goal kick.

61' Barella is telling his team-mates to slow down and not panic after going a goal down. This comes after Bastoni sends in a cross despite no Inter players being in the box.

59' Gosens has a good opportunity to score at the back post after Darmian's cross falls kindly to him. He tries to shoot on the half-volley, but his first touch is too heavy and the chance goes away.

57' Spezia have avoided defeat in their last six matches when scoring the opening goal in Serie A dating back to 30th April 2022 against Lazio (L3-4).

M'Bala Nzola

Assist

55' Nzola shows great strength and composure to hold off both Acerbi and Bastoni before passing the ball to Maldini inside the box. It was the link-up play that Semplici was waiting for.

D. Maldini

Goal

55' GOALL!!! 1-0 SPEZIA!! MALDINI!!! Maldini scores for Spezia with their first shot of the game! Nzola fights off two defenders to hold the ball up before laying it off for Maldini. The forward takes the shot on first-time and scores!

54' Semplici is not happy on the sidelines as he want his Spezia players to be more progressive with their passing.

52' Much like the first half, both sides are struggling to produce quality moves in the final third. The chances are coming from defensive errors rather than attacking brilliance.

50' SAVE! Dragowski is forced into a good save at his far post after Calhanoglu's looping cross almost ends up in the back of the net.

48' Gyasi drives to the edge of the box before putting in a very poor cross. He then commits a foul in frustration, but escapes a second booking.

46' OFFSIDE! Martinez has the ball in the back of the net, but the linesman raises his flag for offside! Lukaku was in an illegal position during the build-up for Inter.

46' Martinez gets the second half underway for Inter!

A. Ekdal

S. Żurkowski

46' Ekdal comes on for Zurkowski as Spezia try to improve in the second half.

D. Maldini

E. Shomurodov

46' Maldini replaces Shomurodov at half-time for Spezia.

Inter could extend their gap to third place Lazio with a win today but will need to be more assured of themselves in the final third to do so. They are not linking up well and their best chances are coming from Spezia mistakes. The home side will also need to find a way to test Handanovic in the second half, although a draw will still be a good result.

45' + 3' HALF-TIME: SPEZIA 0-0 INTER

45' + 2' Mkhitaryan picks up the ball 25 yards out from goal and decides to shoot despite the tight angle. His curling effort aimed at the far post doesn't trouble Dragowski at all.

45' There will be a minimum of two additional minutes.

44' Inter are still attacking with a lot of patience and are not taking any risks in their build-up play. Spezia are not being tested defensively going into the break.

42' SAVE! Dragowski makes another big save to stop Martinez from scoring! The striker is running in on goal after a poor Spezia attack, but the goalkeeper jumps up to tip the shot over the bar.

41' Nzola holds the ball up near the corner so his team-mates can join him in attack. Rather than sending a cross in. Spezia lose the ball in a poor position.

39' Caldara is left frustrated in the attacking box after a free-kick from Agudelo goes over everyone and out for goal kick. It was a good opportunity for Spezia to test Handanovic.

37' Bourabia sends in an in-swinging corner for Spezia, but Handanovic comes out to punch the ball away at the near post.

35' Lukaku misreads a run from his striker partner Martinez, allowing Dragowski to come out and collect the ball. Inter players are not combining too well in the final third.

33' CROSSBAR! Spezia hit the crossbar after Agudelo's deflected cross loops over Handanovic and onto the top of the woodwork!

31' Inter look very comfortable on the ball at the moment but they are not taking a lot of risks when attacking. Neither side are finding it difficult to defend.

29' CLOSE! Mkhitaryan connects well with a volley just outside the box but his effort goes inches over the bar. Dragowski was scrambling back to his line as he was out of position.

27' Spezia are yet to even have a shot in this game. The hosts have not scored a single goal in their last five Serie A home games; in the last 45 years, only two sides have played more consecutive home games in a season in the top-flight without scoring: Parma (eight in 2020/21) and Sampdoria (seven, in 2022/23).

25' Lukaku cuts onto his left foot on the edge of the box and tries to find an angle to shoot from, but his eventual attempt is closed down by Caldara.

23' Nzola and Shomurodov are trying to make more runs in behind to allow their team-mates to try and find a better pass, but Inter are dealing well with the adjustment.

21' Spezia are struggling to retain possession once winning the ball from the Inter players. The visitors are closing them down quickly and forcing the hosts to play long balls just to clear any danger away.

19' CHANCE! Gosens puts in a powerful cross toward the penalty spot, which Lukaku attacks. The striker mistimes his shot, leading to his effort going over the bar.

17' Inter are in control of possession but Spezia are doing well to stop them from progressing forward.

15' The penalty save from Dragowski has reignited the fans inside the stadium as they try to help the hosts push for an opener.

Lautaro Martínez

Penalty Miss

14' MISSED! Martinez takes a slow run-up before trying to place the ball into the bottom right corner, but Dragowski dives early and saves the spot kick!

B. Drągowski

Penalty Save

14' SAVED!! Dragowski saves Martinez’s penalty! He reads the striker and dives low to his left to keep the scoreline level!

M. Caldara

Yellow Card

12' Caldara is shown a yellow card for his foul in the box.

12' PENALTY! After checking the monitor, the referee awards a penalty to Inter for the challenge from Caldara on D'Ambrosio!

10' Spezia players and fans are very unhappy as VAR checks for a penalty for Inter.

9' TACKLE! Caldara makes a vital sliding challenge to stop D'Ambrosio from shooting at goal. The Inter player was running very quickly into the box after a good pass from Martinez, but Caldara comes across to make the tackle.

7' Mkhitaryan sends in a decent cross from the free-kick, but fails to find any of his team-mates at the far post and Spezia clear their lines.

E. Gyasi

Yellow Card

6' Gyasi receives an early yellow card for Spezia as he drags Darmian away from the ball.

5' SAVE! Dragowski makes a good save to stop Martinez from scoring! The striker tries his luck from outside the box, but the goalkeeper is equal to the effort.

3' Barella tries to find Gosens with a lofted pass into the box, but the ball runs out of play for a goal kick. Spezia are not dropping deep into their half when defending, allowing Inter players space to run into.

1' Spezia get the game underway at the Stadio Alberto Picco!

The players are making their way out of the tunnel and onto the pitch!

No team have attempted more headed shots than Inter in Serie A this season (81), while Spezia are the team that have conceded the most headed shots (64).

Semplici makes three changes to his starting lineup as Caldara, Zurkowski, and Shomurodov replace Reca, Ekdal, and Verde. Inzaghi makes four changes to his side as Handanovic, D’Ambrosio, Brozovic, and Lukaku all enter the starting 11.

SUBS: Alex Cordaz, Andre Onana, Denzel Dumfries, Roberto Gagliardini, Stefan de Vrij, Edin Dzeko, Raoul Bellanova, Kristjan Asllani, Hakan Calhanoglu, Federico Dimarco, Valentin Carboni, Mattia Zanotti.

Inter (3-5-2): Samir Handanovic; Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Danilo D’Ambrosio, Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic; Henrikh Mkhitaryan; Robin Gosens; Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez.

SUBS: Jeroen Zoet; Petar Zovko, Zacopo Sala, Albin Ekdal, Daniele Verde, Raimonds Krollis, Salvador Ferrer, Viktor Kovalenko, Salvatore Esposito, Daniel Maldini, Przemyslaw Wisniewski, Simone Giorgeschi, Tio Cipot.

Spezia (3-5-2): Bartlomiej Dragowski; Mattia Caldara, Ethan Ampadu, Dimitrios Nikolaou; Kelvin Amian, Szymon Zurkowski, Mehdi Bourabia, Kevin Agudelo, Emmanuel Gyasi; Eldor Shomurodov, M’Bala Nzola.

Inter sit in second place in the Serie A table as they continue to fight for a top-four spot, but their away record in the league might give their opponents some hope. Simone Inzaghi’s team have only picked up 17 points from 12 away games, conceding 22 and scoring just 19. They have also failed to score in their last two road trips.

Spezia are desperate for a win as they are just three points above the relegation zone. Leonardo Semplici’s side have not won a competitive match since mid-January, leaving them winless in eight matches. Spezia’s defensive problems are costing them a lot of points, with only Cremonese and Salernitana conceding more goals than them in the league this season. Semplici admitted the tension of a relegation battle has been getting to his players as they look to pick up a famous victory.

Hello and welcome to the live commentary of the Serie A fixture between Spezia and Inter.

Spezia v Internazionale Live Commentary, 11/3/23

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