Inter Milan remain top of the Serie A table. In the 4-0 win in Salerno, captain Lautaro Martinez scored all four goals – and that as a substitute. He thus achieved a historic feat.
It quickly became clear on Saturday evening in Salerno that Inter wanted to make amends for the slip-up of the 1-2 against Sassuolo from the previous week. Simone Inzaghi’s team really put the home side in their place in the early stages and had three excellent chances through Thuram (6th), Alexis Sanchez (7th) and Dumfries (10th) to take the lead early on, but inaccurate finishing and a superb Ochoa in the opposition goal prevented them from doing so.
After the stormy opening minutes, however, Inter’s constant pressure gradually decreased. By the middle of the first half at the latest, Salernitana had arrived in the game and had a few offensive actions of their own. Inter, on the other hand, got bogged down more and more often in the final third, and Calhanoglu was even a little lucky to “only” receive a yellow card for an over-hasty tackle on Legowski (25th).
The great Lautaro show
When Inter didn’t really get into the game after the break either, Inzaghi brought on his captain Lautaro Martinez – and that was to really pay off. The Argentine was in the game for just seven minutes when he first collected a long ball and then lifted Thuram’s low cross into the net with a fine touch over Ochoa (62). Salernitana actually found the right answer, but Legowski’s supposed equaliser was conceded by the VAR due to an offside position of the goal scorer (66th).
Instead, the game turned into a Lautaro show: After an early ball win by Dumfries, the Argentine Inter captain converted a Barella cross with less feeling but a lot of force (77). The resistance of the outsiders, who were still without a win this season, was broken – and Inter’s three points were in keeping with their status. After a foul on Thuram, Lautaro Martinez converted a penalty (85th) and added his fourth goal after Carlos Augusto’s cross for the 4-0 final score (89th).
This makes the Argentine World Cup winner the first Serie A player since the introduction of the three-point rule in 1994/95 to score four goals as a substitute. In total, he already has nine goals after seven games. Inter are still level on points with city rivals Milan (2-0 against Lazio), but are top of the table thanks to their superior goal difference.
