Serie A | Inter 0-1 Fiorentina: Bonaventura and Lukaku stun San Siro

Inter were made to pay for some shocking misses, including a Romelu Lukaku one from three yards, as Giacomo Bonaventura nodded in to give Fiorentina their eighth consecutive victory in all competition.

Both these teams will play nine games in April, as they are also in the Coppa Italia semi-final and European quarter-finals, Champions League for the Nerazzurri and Conference League for the Viola. Lautaro Martinez and Nico Gonzalez were rested after international duty, with Hakan Calhanoglu, Milan Skriniar, Federico Dimarco, Luka Jovic and Alfred Duncan were injured, with Danilo D’Ambrosio suspended.

When they met back in October, Inter snatched a last-gasp 4-3 thriller at the Stadio Franchi, but the Tuscans were without a win against their rivals since April 2017, with the last at San Siro back in September 2015.

Andre Onana needed a desperate double save after 13 minutes on the Gaetano Castrovilli volley and the rebound from point-blank range which Alessandro Bastoni had failed to clear.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan went on a scorching run from midfield that saw him skip past two challenges, force a save and eventually hit the side-netting with an acrobatic finish, while Romelu Lukaku first failed to get on the end of a Denzel Dumfries assist, then hesitated and failed to finish off another great move sparked by Marcelo Brozovic.

Rolando Mandragora and Lucas Martinez Quarta had efforts not far off target, while Jonathan Ikone failed to connect from six yards when Riccardo Saponara’s effort was deflected into his path.

Gosens volleyed a Brozovic cross over at the dawn of the second half, but Castrovilli came even closer with a spectacular right-foot curler from outside the box that clipped the outside of the far post with Onana well beaten.

Lukaku missed one of the worst sitters of his entire career, as Alessandro Bastoni rolled across and he somehow scuffed the ball undisturbed from three yards to send it sideways.

That proved very costly indeed, as Fiorentina scored moments later. Biraghi’s corner found the Arthur Cabral glancing header, Onana saved with one hand, but Giacomo Bonaventura reacted quicker than Bastoni to nod in the rebound.

Inter threatened an equaliser, as a free kick ricocheted into the path of Nicolò Barella for a ferocious half-volley that smacked against the far upright.

Dumfries again hesitated and allowed a defender to make the block, then substitute Lautaro Martinez had penalty appeals rejected for a slight Igor tug.

Raoul Bellanova thought he was going to tap in from six yards, but Dodo with a brave diving header got there first to the Dumfries cross. Luca Ranieri cleared off the line, but it wouldn’t have counted as Edin Dzeko was offside.

Inter 0-1 Fiorentina

Bonaventura 53 (F)