Inter held firm to record a 2-0 victory over Lecce during their first home game of the 2024-25 Serie A season on Saturday evening, thanks to an early opener from Matteo Darmian and a second-half penalty from Hakan Calhanoglu. Check out the player ratings from Saturday’s headliner.
Inter 2-0 Lecce – player ratings
Inter: Sommer 7; Pavard 6, Acerbi 7, Bastoni 6; Darmian 8, Barella 6.5, Calhanoglu 7, Mkhitaryan 6, Dimarco 6.5; Taremi 6.5, Thuram 6.5.
Best Inter player – Darmian 8: It was a superbly taken goal from the versatile full-back, who had almost too much time to make his run, and then faced a difficult task in steering the wicked bounce of the ball past Wladimiro Falcone. Defensively, he was as sound as ever, too. It was a performance that proves Darmian’s importance to this team; having somebody who can perform equally well at wing-back and in a back three is so useful for Simone Inzaghi.
Coach: Simone Inzaghi – 7 After a surprisingly difficult start to the season with a 2-2 draw with Genoa last weekend, Inzaghi made sure that his players were up for the win this time around. Inter looked like they had put any early-season hangover to bed, particularly compared to their city-rivals Milan, who suffered a worrying 2-1 loss to Parma earlier in the day. And he had to make do without captain and talisman Lautaro Martinez, as well.
Lecce: Falcone 6; Gendrey 5.5, Gaspar 5, Baschirotto 5.5, Gallo 5; Ramadani 5, Pierret 6; Dorgu 6, Rafia 5.5, Banda 6, Krstovic 5.
Best Lecce player – Dorgu 6: Definitely Lecce’s brightest spark on the night, even if he was not able to get himself on the scoresheet. He was able to cause some difficulty in the space between Inter’s back three and their wing-backs and was quick, skillful and prepared to take his man on. Still only 19 years of age, the winger does have a bright future in front of him.
Coach: Luca Gotti – 5: It’s not been the best start for Lecce by any means, particularly after their 4-0 hammering by Atalanta last weekend. Even though it was two defeats on the spin, the loss to Inter was slightly more encouraging, particularly as they had to face the reigning league champions away from home. A real indication of how Lecce have come on will be provided in their upcoming fixtures against Cagliari, Torino and Parma, where Gotti needs to grab some points to get this season going.