Inter 1-0 Barcelona: instant reactions from San Siro, tops and flops

Inter secured a crucial 1-0 against Barcelona: here are Lorenzo Bettoni’s instant reactions from San Siro and his tops and flops.

Solid defence…finally!

Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni and Stefan de Vrij offered a solid performance against Robert Lewandowski & Co. They were under pressure after conceding 13 goals in the opening eight Serie A games.

Fans and media had blamed Skriniar suggesting that he had been distracted by negotiations with PSG, but the Slovakia international, who wore the captain’s armband tonight, proved his worth and nullified Barcelona’s attacks dominating in the air and winning many duels.

Calhanoglu strikes again

The Turkey international scored his first Champions League in five years. His superb strike from the edge of the box at the end of the first half gave all three points to the Nerazzurri. ‘Calha’ started with Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the middle of the park with Inzaghi using a double playmaker to replace the injured Marcelo Brozovic.

They looked a bit shaky in the initial stages, but they eventually got the job done. However, Inter missed the final pass too frequently, both with their midfielder and strikers. Had they been more accurate they could have caused more trouble to Barcelona in the second half.

Referee controversy

Prepare for controversy, especially from Spain. Pedri saw his equaliser disallowed after a VAR check because of a handball of Ansu Fati (VIDEO). It was a close call, but the promising Barcelona winger did touch the ball with his hand in the build-up, so the referee could not avoid taking action.

Barcelona also appealed for a penalty kick in the final minutes of the game, but a new ‘silent’ check – not on the field this time – didn’t bring joy to Xavi who was complaining to the referee’s assistants on the touchline. To be honest, the Barcelona coach was quite right as Denzel Dumfries appeared to hit the ball with his right hand inside the box.

Onana vs. Handanovic

The rotation in Inter’s goal has been one of the main talking points since the start of the season. Onana plays in Champions League, Handanovic in Serie A. The latter has been criticised (again) by fans and media after the game against Roma on Saturday as he was considered at fault for Paulo Dybala’s goal.

Onana had played two great games against Viktoria Plzen and Bayern Munich but made some errors tonight. The ex-Ajax man was caught in no man’s land leading to Pedri’s equaliser which was eventually disallowed. It was not the first time Onana misjudged the ball, but luckily always without consequences for Inter. However, fans never stop supporting him. Perhaps they should reconsider the way they treat their captain sometimes and respect him a little more after all he’s done for the club.

Tops

Hakan Calhanoglu – He was not extraordinary in the opening stages, but his goal was a turning point for him and Inter.

Lautaro Martinez – He was not fully fit, but played the whole game and showed the usual Grinta until the very end. Leader.

Federico Dimarco – Inter’s attack leading to Calhanoglu’s goal started with a stunning cross-field pass from the Italy international who is among Inter’s most in-form players.

Milan Skriniar – Big personality. Never in trouble against one of the most tricky attacks in Europe. Wore the captain’s armband with pride. His colleagues De Vrij and Bastoni also deserve mention.

Flops

Ousmane Dembélé – Got almost all the choices wrong in the first half. Xavi moved him to the left at the beginning of the second half and the France international was a bit more dangerous. He hit the post too, but overall he didn’t produce enough.

Robert Lewandowski – Nullified by the Inter defence. Perhaps, neither the Poland international would expect such a tough night at San Siro considering that Inter had already conceded 15 goals in 10 games across all competitions prior to the game.

Raphinha – Disappeared on the pitch, Matteo Darmian did a great job on the right.