MILAN - Goals, the woodwork, VAR, controversy, missed penalties and unending drama. It’s hard to envisage a more spectacular final game. In front of over 68,000 fans at San Siro, everything you could have imagined and more happened as the curtain came down on the 2018-19 Serie A TIM season. The Nerazzurri won 2-1 at the end of a crazy game, finishing the season with 69 points to seal Champions League football next season. Credit to Empoli, who go down to Serie B with their heads held more than high on account of the draw between Fiorentina and Genoa.
Inter started strongly and at a high tempo. In the fourth minute, Asamoah picked Nainggolan out in the middle but Dragowski saved his shot from 20 metres out comfortably. Straight after, Icardi played Politano in on the right but his ball across was cleared by Silvestre. Empoli looked to play on the attack but Caputo overhit his ball to Acquah and Handanovic claimed it. In the ninth minute, Politano couldn’t capitalise on a Dragowski mistake but the goalkeeper made up for it straight after with a brilliant save from Perisic’s shot from the edge of the box. Vecino had two shots in a minute, first a backheel and then a side-foot effort but he couldn’t beat the Empoli goalkeeper. The Nerazzurri kept pushing and pushing. Dragowski was called into action twice in the 27th minute, first from a long Brozovic shot before he made a stunning save from De Vrij’s header at the corner that followed. After 30 minutes, the visitors got up the pitch as Farias played in Caputo but Handanovic did well to close him down. In the 38th minute, Traore looked to pick out the corner from inside the box and it didn’t go wide by much. Inter looked dangerous again with time running down after Asamoah hit a rocket of a shot from 25 metres out but Dragowski was there again to save at the expense of a corner and it was 0-0 at the break.
Straight after the break, Spalletti brought Keita on with the Senegalese replacing Asamoah and Perisic moving into a wing-back position. It turned out to be an inspired move as Keita received the ball high in the Empoli half, he took advantage of Icardi’s movement off the ball before rifling the ball into the bottom corner. With the deadlock broken, Inter continued to attack. On the hour, a penalty was awarded after a long VAR check for Dragowski’s challenge on Icardi. The Argentine stepped up himself to take it but the Empoli goalkeeper saved the spot-kick. Empoli had a golden chance in the 70th minute when Handanovic was simply magnificent in coming off his line to deny Farias. Spalletti then brought Lautaro on for Icardi and Dalbert replaced Perisic who had a muscle issue. The visitors were battling to stay up and equalised in the 76th minute. Soon after coming on, Ucan whipped the ball across low and hard from the right to set Traore up for the tap-in. The Nerazzurri had slipped to fifth as results stood but Nainggolan stepped up to put things right. In the 81st minute, Vecino hit the post after splitting the Empoli defence in two but the ball fell kindly for Nainggolan who made no mistake with his first-time finish into the open goal. It wasn’t done there. In the 89th minute, D’Ambrosio was the star as he got in the way of Caputo’s pass for Traore to somehow redirect the ball onto the bar. Three minutes later, it was Handanovic who came to the rescue with a desperation save on Ucan before Keita went straight down the other end only for Dragowski to keep Empoli in it. In the 95th minute, the match descended into absolute chaos. Dragowski went up for a corner before Brozovic scored from the halfway line with the goalkeeper stranded. San Siro was in raptures but the referee disallowed it for a Keita foul on the goalkeeper and he picked up a second yellow card. With time seeming to stand still, Handanovic mad ethe difference by saving a Farias header in the final seconds of the season. The whistle finally came and Inter are in the Champions League!
Now and forever... #ForzaInter!
INTER 2-1 EMPOLI
Goals: 51' Keita (I), 76' Traore (E), 81' Nainggolan (I)
INTER: 1 Handanovic; 33 D'Ambrosio, 6 de Vrij, 37 Skriniar, 18 Asamoah (46' 11 Keita) ; 8 Vecino, 77 Brozovic; 16 Politano, 14 Nainggolan, 44 Perisic (74' 29 Dalbert); 9 Icardi (71' 10 Lautaro)
Substitutes: 27 Padelli, 5 Gagliardini, 13 Ranocchia, 15 Joao Mario, 20 Borja Valero, 21 Cedric Soares, 23 Miranda, 87 Candreva
Coach: Luciano Spalletti
EMPOLI: 69 Dragowski; 22 Maietta (70' 48 Uçan), 26 Silvestre, 39 Dell'Orco; 2 Di Lorenzo, 8 Traore, 10 Bennacer, 18 Acquah (70' 4 Brighi), 6 Pajac; 11 Caputo, 17 Farias
Substitutes: 1 Provedel, 21 Perucchini, 5 Veseli, 7 Mchedlidze, 23 Pasqual, 28 Capezzi, 32 Rasmussen, 37 Oberlin, 43 Nikolaou
Coach: Aurelio Andreazzoli
Bookings: Pajac (E), Perisic (I), D'Ambrosio (I), Caputo E)e
Red card: 95' Keita (I) second yellow card
Stoppage time: 0' + 5'
Referee: Luca Banti
Assistants: Vuoto, Passeri
Fourth official: Pasqua
VAR: Giacomelli, Schenone
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