The final Serie A fixture of 2015 saw Lazio upset the league leaders in their own backyard, with Antonio Candreva scoring twice.
Lazio have defeated Inter Milan 2-1 in a gripping contest at the San Siro on Sunday, with Candreva’s double ensuring Mauro Icardi’s solitary goal had little impact upon the share of the points.
The away side struck early on, with the Lazio winger’s powerfully placed effort from the edge of the box going beyond Samir Handanovic in goal for Inter. Roberto Mancini’s side responded in the second half through Icardi, who put a rare Nerazzurri chance on target into the back of the net.
Candreva put the Biancocelesti back into the lead just minutes before stoppage time, however, from a rebound after seeing his penalty saved by Handanovic. Perhaps not unexpectedly, the match ended on a sour note as Felipe Melo was given a straight red card for a high foot on Lucas Biglia, whilst Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was given his second yellow of the game for time wasting only a minute after.
The result sees Lazio regain a spot in the top 10, while Inter’s lead has been reduced to just one point, with Fiorentina and Napoli snapping at their heels.
Bad start and lack of ‘Plan B’ compounds Inter to bad result
Apart from the 1-1 draw at Sampdoria in October, every time Inter have gone behind in the league this season they have lost – and this match was no different.
Conceding within the opening five minutes from a well worked set piece, the Nerazzurri were always going to be up against it, especially considering they have scored more than one goal in a league fixture on just three occasions.
Mancini has seen his side emerge 1-0 victors eight times this season, so when Candreva put Stefano Pioli’s men a goal up Inter were forced to abandon their defensive game and attempt to revert to a plan B in order to gain something from the match. The worrying thing for Interisti, though, is that the team seems to lack a plan B altogether and failed to break Lazio down at all during the game apart from the goal.
Whether or not Internazionale can claim the Scudetto is dependent upon the side’s ability to adapt to different situations in-game.
Martín Montoya disappoints in rare start
The Barca loanee was afforded just his second league start of the 2015-16 campaign for Inter, and he was simply dreadful.
There were moments in the first half when Felipe Anderson’s pace and skill made Montoya look foolish, whilst going forward the Spaniard was clumsy in possession as well as with his passes and offered his side very little in the attacking third.
It is understandable that he may still require a bedding-in period in order to acclimatise to the rigours of first team football once more, however, the full-back is not likely to receive many more opportunities with performances such as the one provided against the Roman outfit.
Lazio’s energy in midfield too much for Inter
Particularly in the first half, the work rate and industry on display from Lazio’s two holding-midfielders, Milinkovic-Savic and Biglia, was too much for Mancini’s men to handle.
The pair pressed and harried Melo and Gary Medel to great effect, forcing Melo in particular to misplace a few passes and make errors on the ball, while also marking Stevan Jovetic out of the game completely.
The two Biancocelesti men were a key factor in the away side’s dominance over and outrunning of the Inter Milan midfield for much of the game, barring a short period of Inter pressure after they equalised.
Melo throws the game away for the home side
The 32-year-old performed in a self-destructive manner at the San Siro as he gave away needless fouls, turned the ball over on several occasions, stupidly handed the away side a penalty, and got himself sent off for a dangerously high foot that landed on Biglia’s collarbone.
The all-action defensive-midfielder was an unneeded hindrance late on in the game when Inter were chasing a winning goal, climbing all over Milinkovic-Savic inside the box in a situation that was extremely unlikely to result in an opportunity on goal for the away side. The ensuing penalty was saved, though Candreva slotted home on the rebound.
Shortly afterwards, the ugly side to Melo’s combative game reared its head, as he was sent off for the aforementioned foul on the Lazio captain. It is a possibility the Brazilian will miss three games due to violent conduct.
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