Inter’s Early Goals Propel Crucial Victory Over Udinese, Extending Lead to Six Points

A pair of assists from Federico Dimarco were instrumental in securing a 2-1 win for Inter against Udinese at the San Siro, temporarily increasing their lead at the Serie A summit to six points and maintaining an impressive run of 12 home league matches unbeaten for the reigning champions.

With Atalanta falling to Fiorentina earlier in the day, Inter had the chance to seize the moment with a heavily anticipated victory, which would ramp up the pressure on Napoli, currently in second place, ahead of their upcoming clash with AC Milan.

Simone Inzaghi’s side did not disappoint, taking the initiative within the first 15 minutes.

A well-executed phase of possession ended with Dimarco sprinting down the left wing, where he delivered a reverse pass into the 18-yard box that was finished off by Marko Arnautovic.

Udinese found it difficult to assert themselves in the match and seemed to be outmatched for the majority of the first half.

The Nerazzurri seized this opportunity, doubling their advantage just before the 30-minute mark, as Dimarco received the ball down the left again; this time, his cross was directed into the net by Davide Frattesi.

Heading into halftime with a 2-0 lead, Udinese faced an almost insurmountable challenge, particularly given that Inter have lost only once when leading at the break in league matches since the start of the 2023/24 season (W31, D6).

After the interval, both coaches opted for numerous substitutions, yet Inter controlled large stretches of the second half.

The game took an exciting turn in the 71st minute when Oumar Solet made a charging run towards goal and unleashed a fantastic long-range shot that found the back of the net.

This suddenly put Inzaghi’s team under pressure as they clung on during the last 15 minutes. However, the Bianconeri’s comeback aspirations were stifled by a series of stoppages that disrupted their rhythm.

Inzaghi was shown a red card late in the match for dissent towards the referee, but it did not influence the outcome of the game. Inter successfully navigated the closing minutes to secure their fifth straight win across all competitions and marked a sixth consecutive victory over Udinese.

Conversely, Udinese have now suffered two defeats in their last three encounters, although Kosta Runjaic’s squad remains comfortably mid-table in 10th position, with no immediate relegation concerns, despite their aspirations for a European spot having faded.