UDINESE starting XI (4-2-3-1): Okoye, Kabasele, Bijol, Touré, Ehizibue, Lovric (subbed for Ekkelenkamp), Karlstrom (subbed for Atta), Zarraga (subbed for Iker Bravo), Zemura, Thauvin (subbed for Brenner), Davis (subbed for Lucca)
Bench: Sava, Padelli, Abankwah, Palma, Lucca, Ebosse, Modesto
Goals: Kabasele 35’, Lucca 83’
INTER starting XI (3-5-2): Sommer, Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni (subbed for De Vrij), Darmian, Frattesi (subbed for Zielinski), Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (subbed for Carlos Augusto), Thuram (subbed for Taremi), Lautaro (subbed for Correa)
Bench: Di Gennaro, J. Martinez, Dumfries, Arnautovic, Asllani, Pavard, Palacios
Goals: Frattesi 1’, Martinez 45+3’ 47’
Martinez led the league with 24 goals last season and scored a Copa-best five goals - including the winner in the final - to lead Argentina to the trophy in July.
But he acknowledged after last weekend’s derby loss to AC Milan that he hadn’t been in top shape after going scoreless in Inter’s opening five Serie A games - plus a 0-0 draw at Manchester City in the Champions League during which he was benched at the start for his lack of fitness.
“He’s our captain and we all know what he represents,” Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said. “He had always trained hard and today he was great. Sometimes you bounce back stronger from defeats.”
After Davide Frattesi opened the scoring for Inter and Christian Kabasele equalised for Udinese, Martinez struck either side of halftime.
First, he bundled the ball over the line after missing an initial attempt. Then he finished off a setup from Marcus Thuram to revive the scoring tandem that powered Inter to the title last season.
Martinez last scored in Serie A in March.
Lorenzo Lucca pulled one back for Udinese late in the second half.
Inter moved level on points with Torino and Milan, one point behind Juventus and two behind leaders Napoli.
AAP
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