Inter-Bruges 3-4
INTER
J. Martinez 4.5 - Tresoldi's penalty gives him no chance. Then comes the familiar disaster: he charges inexplicably towards the halfway line when the move does not call for it, leaving an open goal for the Belgian side's striker to score his second. He later parries the ball to the Italian-German's feet for his third. Madrid might have been a one-off, but after Udine, this third incident confirms a pattern. He often delivers between the posts, yet Inter have a problem they need to solve.
Bisseck 5 - Given licence to build play from centre-back, he occasionally switches off. Bruges' quick wide players repeatedly trouble him. The gap in pace is clear, and he struggles along with his team-mates.
Akanji 4.5 - Careless in his marking of Tresoldi, he struggles to contain him and resorts to rough treatment, earning a yellow card. Tresoldi reacts and moves quicker, and playing in the centre does not help Akanji. Slow, bogged down and cumbersome when starting attacks, he produces a disastrous display that confirms his early-season difficulties.
Bastoni 5.5 - Of the back three, he fares best, holding his position while taking responsibility for building play. Late on, he fades with his team-mates and looks tired as he tries to track runs from the quick Potts and Forbs.
Diouf 5 - Going forward, he is a thorn in the opposition's side. Running back is another matter. Opponents who run at him expose his limitations tonight, as Bruges' third goal shows.
Barella 5 - Torn between breaking up play and creating it, he contributes too little in either phase. The Belgian side's transitions often catch him in the middle, and he sinks with the rest of the team. (From the 78th minute: Bonny 6.5: he brings energy, darts behind the Bruges defenders and scores a fine goal after a dribble, curling his shot home. Perhaps he should have come on earlier)
Çalhanoğlu 5 - Unusually, he struggles with the weight of his passes and his defensive work. His foul on Forbs, who is through on goal, leads to the penalty. He then rattles the crossbar with a thunderbolt from outside the box before going off with a physical problem ahead of the final collapse. (From the 67th minute: Sucic 5.5: his shot leads to Lautaro's second goal. He comes on when Inter need to attack but neglects his defensive duties a little too often)
Zielinski 5 - More than his team-mates, he makes himself available and tries to link play. He also comes close to scoring. Then he starts the counter-attack by Forbs that leads to the penalty which puts the Belgian side ahead. He never recovers. (From the 88th minute: Stankovic not rated)
Dimarco 5 - Still short of the weapon he was last season, he appears hampered by a physical problem. He makes a few muddled mistakes, though his left-foot shooting remains dangerous, as he shows midway through the second half. Defending against a menace like Forbs proves much harder. (From the 78th minute: Spence 5 - he comes on and makes a mess of the Belgian side's fourth goal. Hardly ideal)
L. Martinez 6.5 - First he has a goal disallowed. Then the world-class No 9 conjures an equaliser, planting one foot and instantly poking his shot home. In the second half, he misses a huge chance to make it 2-1 when one-on-one with Sommer, before giving his team hope again with a tap-in for 2-3. Last to give up, he feels the defeat like salt burning on his skin. But that miss at 1-1 weighs heavily.
Thuram 6 - With pace and strength, he battles the Belgian centre-backs and does not hesitate to shoot from distance. Given how dangerous he looks against an inattentive Belgian defence, he probably should not have gone off. (From the 67th minute: P. Esposito 5.5: he tries to battle with the centre-backs but sees little of the ball. He misses a huge chance when one-on-one with Sommer)
Manager Chivu 5 - This is not the Inter side Europe admired during the two years with Inzaghi. Attacking football, entertainment and goals count for plenty, but his team seem to have forgotten how to defend this year. A slow defence covering so much ground against quick wide players is in trouble, especially without a dependable presence in goal. In Italy, comebacks have helped people forgive his occasional tactical arrogance. In Europe, they do not.
