INTER starting XI (3-5-2): Sommer, Pavard (subbed for Bisseck), De Vrij, Carlos Augusto, Dumfries (subbed for Darmian), Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (subbed for Acerbi), Lautaro (subbed for Arnautovic), Sanchez (subbed for Thuram)

Bench: Di Gennaro, Audero, Buchanan, Stankovic, Akinsanmiro, Klaassen, Frattesi

Goals: Asllani 30’, Sanchez 38’ (Pen)

GENOA starting XI (3-5-2): Martinez, De Winter, Bani, Vasquez, Sabelli (subbed for Ekuban), Messias (subbed for Vitinha), Badelj, Frendrup (subbed for Strootman), Martin (subbed for Spence), Retegui, Gudmundsson

Bench: Leali, Sommariva, Pittino, Cittadini, Vogliacco, Bohinen, Thorsby, Malinovskyi

Goals: Vasquez 54’

Inter beat Genoa 2-1 on Tuesday (AEDT) at the San Siro to extend their lead to 15 points over second-placed Juventus, who lost to Napoli the previous evening.

It was a 12th straight win for Inter — a run dating back to December and a draw at Genoa. The Nerazzurri also have the best attack and defence in Europe’s top five leagues.

Genoa had lost only one of their previous 11 matches and were also one of only four sides not to have lost to Inter this season.

In an end-to-end match, Inter broke the deadlock on the half hour mark with a great team move. Nicolo Barella picked out Alexis Sanchez, who sent the ball through to Kristjan Asllani and the Albanian midfielder fired powerfully into the roof of the net for his first Nerazzurri goal.

Sanchez got on the scoresheet himself eight minutes later when he converted a penalty, which was controversially awarded after a VAR review for a foul by Genoa defender Morten Frendrup on Barella.

It was Sanchez’s first Serie A goal since the Chilean forward returned to Inter from Marseille in August.

Genoa got back into the match nine minutes into the second half. Inter defender Stefan de Vrij headed a ball clear but only as far as Johan Vazquez on the edge of the area and he volleyed into the bottom-right corner.

The visitors thought they levelled in the 66th, but Mateo Retegui’s strike was disallowed for offside.

There was further good news for Inter as Marcus Thuram returned from injury. The France national team forward has had a stunning first season in Italy, notching ten goals and seven assists, and had played in all of Inter’s matches before getting injured in last month’s 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid.

The second leg of that Champions League round-of-16 tie is on March 13.

AAP

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