Martinez Clinches Last-Minute Victory for Inter Against Genoa in Serie A Title Battle

Defending Serie A champions Inter Milan have ascended to the summit of the league table before Napoli’s encounter with Como on Sunday, narrowly overcoming mid-table Genoa 1-0 and extending their impressive home winning streak against them to 11 matches.

Perhaps still feeling the sting from last Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Juventus, Inter dominated possession in the first half but lacked the incisiveness and energy to significantly test a sturdy Genoa defence.

As the match progressed, Genoa began to find their rhythm and launch a few attacks of their own, but they too struggled to find the final touch, with the first half finishing without either side registering a shot on target, much to the discontent of the San Siro crowd.

After Joaquin Correa, who had been carrying an injury, was substituted at half-time for Mehdi Taremi, Inter missed the services of Marcus Thuram, who was sidelined due to an ankle complaint.

Unfortunately for the home team, the start of the second half mirrored the first, as Inter failed to capitalise on several opportunities. Genoa nearly scored when Jeff Ekhator’s pass intended for Fabio Miretti, on loan from Juventus, was slightly misplaced, allowing Francesco Acerbi to execute a crucial intervention.

Around the hour mark, Inter had a chance to take the lead under somewhat dubious circumstances when they were awarded a corner kick after Genoa winger Alessandro Zanoli appeared to have not touched the ball.

From the ensuing set-piece, Taremi’s mishit attempt was cleared away by Mattia Bani, while a stunning scissor kick from Benjamin Pavard was expertly saved by Nicola Leali.

That fleeting moment of excitement ignited the Inter supporters, prompting coach Simone Inzaghi’s counterpart, former Inter midfielder Patrick Vieira, to make a triple substitution to invigorate his attacking options.

However, Genoa seemed to be inviting trouble as Nicolo Barella’s powerful drive struck the crossbar in the 70th minute. Moments later, a header from Caleb Ekuban was thwarted by former team-mate Josep Martinez, before Inter finally broke the deadlock after Hakan Calhanoglu’s precise corner was deflected in by the indefatigable Lautaro Martinez.

In the closing moments, things didn’t all go smoothly for Inter, as they missed an opportunity to extend their lead when Taremi’s shot went straight at Leali. Nevertheless, the Nerazzurri secured their first home Serie A clean sheet of 2025, while Genoa can take some positives from their performance despite remaining in 12th place on the table.

Check out the match summary here