Winners and losers: Joaquin Correa shines in Inter’s 3-1 win over Verona

Inter Milan pulled off a comeback victory on Friday night as they scored three successive goals to win 3-1 versus Hella Verona. The Simone Inzaghi era is off to a great start as the Nerazzurri have won their first two matches to begin the Serie A season and remain undefeated. Joaquin Correa made his debut for the Nerazzurri in snazzy fashion as he scored a brace in the last 15 minutes of the match. Lautaro Martinez scored Inter’s opening goal while Ivan Ilic scored the lone goal for Verona.

So, who were winners and losers from Inter’s 3-1 win versus Verona?

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Winner: Matteo Darmian

Matteo Darmian was one of the few impactful players who started for Inter. Numerous players struggled to get involved in this match with Nicolo Barella, Ivan Perisic, and Hakan Çalhanoğlu looking out of sync. Darmian was the complete opposite as, when his side was mediocre in the first half, he tried creating chances, showed good intensity, and was getting into Verona’s box. On several occasions, he made timely key blocks to prevent Darko Lazović from crossing the ball into Inter’s box to prevent Verona from scoring chances.

Correa was the hero in this match yet it was Darmian’s individual effort on the right flank that led to Inter’s game-winner. The forward did a great job chasing down a long ball pass from Arturo Vidal as he kept the ball in the play. He followed with a brilliant cross into Verona’s box that led to Correa’s header past Verona goalkeeper, Lorenzo Montipò. Darmian’s performance helped mount a comeback.

He finished the match with two key passes, two interceptions, one clearance, and won one aerial duel.

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Winner: Joaquin Correa

Correa had the perfect start with Inter as he scored a brace and helped his side win 3-1 over Verona. The Argentine came off the bench in the 74^th minute and immediately made an impact as he scored after nine minutes. On his opening goal, he showed great strength and positioning as Verona defender, Pawel Dawidowicz, was late to cover him and led to his header past Montipò.

In injury time, Correa showed off his dribbling skills and scored a brilliant shot from outside the box. The Argentine arrived on Thursday and has only been with his club for two days yet he’s already feeling at home. He provided that spark that Inter desperately needed late in the match.

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Winner: Simone Inzaghi

It was an entertaining match from Inter who had a good start yet conceded in the 15^th minute and found themselves trailing. However, Inzaghi was brilliant throughout this match as his starting lineup and substitutions were impactful. Vidal and Correa made a difference off the bench to help win the match.

Last season, ex-manager, Antonio Conte, consistently used Vidal as a starter and this was a move that didn’t fare well. The midfielder has shown that he no longer has the stamina to play over 60 minutes and has shown to be more impactful off the bench. He provided intensity, a good work rate, and delivered accurate passes. It’s a decision that he’s made in their first two matches and proved to be effective.

After a poor finish to the first half, Inzaghi managed to change his tactics in the second half. Within the first five minutes, Martinez scored and it was a positive response from Inter.

“We re-organized during the break, did well to get the equalizer quickly through Lautaro Martinez and the changes off the bench gave us that little something extra that we needed at that moment. It’s an important win, as I had told the lads during the week this would not be easy, as Inter struggled both and away against Verona last season.”

Inzaghi | Sky Sport Italia.

Early indications seem that Inzaghi will have Inter near the top and fighting for a Scudetto this season.

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Loser: Samir Handanovic

Constant errors in the backend for Inter goalkeeper, Samir Handanović, was a reoccurring narrative. The Slovenian made numerous mistakes last season with his inability to make a proper pass out from the backend or failing to corral the ball, which led to goals conceded. Spezia and Sassuolo managed to take advantage and as a result, Inter dropped points.

On Friday night, Handanović made a terrible pass towards Brozovic, with the midfielder slipping and unaware of the pass. It led to a loose ball for Ilic, who followed up with a goal past Handanović. At 36 years old, he is starting to age and mistakes are becoming a regularity.

Goalkeeping has always been an area that Inter has failed to address and, with little time remaining, this should be considered before the transfer market closes. There is the option of starting backup goalkeeper, Ionut Radu, who’s never been given a fair chance in goal. If these sorts of errors persistently continue, Inzaghi might need to make a change in net.

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Loser: Antonín Barák

There were few scoring chances for Verona yet when they arrived, they struggled to convert versus Inter. Antonín Barák had two good scoring opportunities yet failed to capitalize. In the first half, inside the Inter box, he was left all alone on the right side, however, he showed poor control and didn’t manage to get a shot off.

In the second half, there was a similar situation where he struggled to control the ball and release a shot on target. Barák once again missed on his opportunity as he failed to capitalize.

While he was effective in other areas such as making key passes and winning aerial duels, his finish let him down. Chances are hard to come by versus Inter and Barák missed opportunities which could have allowed Verona back into the game.