By Anna Italia
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59% Ball Possession INTER and 41% Ball Possession EMPOLI
Inter 4 – 3 Empoli 
49′ Rodrigo Palacio 59′ Levan Mchedlidze
53′ Mauro Icardi 62′ Manuel Pucciarelli
70′ Marcelo Brozovic 88′ Levan Mchedlidze
77′ Mauro Icardi
Serie A Standing BEFORE the game:
Inter, 8th position with 52 points and a positive goal difference of +10
Empoli, 15th position with 42 points and a negative goal difference of -5
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | Goals | DIFF | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Inter | 37 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 55:45 | 10 | 52 |
| 15 | Empoli | 37 | 8 | 18 | 11 | 43:48 | -5 | 42 |
Inter with an important victory at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium not much for the team, but for forward Mauro Icardi reaching 22 goals. Icardi is sharing the Top Scorer award with Hellas Verona forward Luca Toni also with 22 goals. The disappointing note for Inter is that despite the victory they are out of Europa League.
Inter opening the score in the 49th minute with forward Rodrigo Palacio defeating Empoli goalkeeper Davide Bassi with a right footed shot in the center. The assist is by forward Mauro Icardi.
Inter forward Rodrigo Palacio celebrating after his goal.
An important moment for Inter in the 53rd minute for Inter. There is is the goal by forward Mauro Icardi making it his 21st goal. Icardi defeats Empoli goalkeeper with a right footed shot in the bottom right corner. The assist is by midfielder Mateo Kovacic.
Inter forward Mauro Icardi celebrating after his goal.
Empoli shortening the distance i the 59th minute. Forward Levan Mchedlidze defeating Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic with a headed shot in the bottom right corner.
The equalizer goal for the 2-2 in the 62nd minute. It is midfielder Manuel Pucciarelli to defeat goalkeeper Handanovic with a a right footed shot in the bottom left corner. The assist is by forward Simone Verdi
Inter taking back the lead in the 70th minute. Key move by Icardi providing the assist to midfielder Marcelo Brozovic defeating goalkeeper Bassi with a left footed shot in the bottom left corner.
Finally, the moment marking a personal accomplishment for Icardi. Yep, Icardi reaching now 22 goals and becoming top scorer of the Serie A along with Hellas Verona forward Luca Toni both having 22 goals. Icardi defeating Empoli goalkeeper in the 77th minute with a right footed shot in the bottom right corner. The assist is by midfielder Hernanes.
There are 9 precedents at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. Stats showing Inter with 8 wins and Empoli with 1 win.
Here is INTER official starting lineup by coach Roberto Mancini:
INTER (4-3-1-2): Handanović; Nagatomo, Felipe, Ranocchia, Juan Jesus; Brozović, Medel, Kovačić; Hernanes; Icardi, Palacio.
Here is EMPOLI official starting lineup by coach Maurizio Sarri:
EMPOLI (4-3-1-2): Bassi; Laurini, Barba, Rugani, Hysaj; Vecino, Valdifiori, Croce; Saponara; Pucciarelli, Mchedlidze.
Here is Inter official starting lineup against Empoli
Click the video to watch the highlights of the match Inter vs Empoli including all goals on Sunday 31 May 2015.
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Empoli FC Tickets
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Stats BEFORE the game. Top sorer of INTER: Forward Mauro Icardi with 20 goals
Top scorer of EMPOLI: Forward Massimo Maccarone with 10 goals
| Inter | Goals | Goals | Empoli |
|---|---|---|---|
| Icardi, Mauro | 20 | 10 | Maccarone, Massimo |
| Palacio, Rodrigo Sebastian | 7 | 7 | Saponara, Riccardo |
| Guarin, Fredy | 6 | 5 | Tonelli, Lorenzo |
| Kovacic, Mateo | 5 | 4 | Pucciarelli, Manuel |
| Hernanes | 5 | 3 | Rugani, Daniele |
Stats. Here are the last 3 games of INTER: 1 win, 2 lost
| 23/05/15 | SA | Genoa – Inter | 3:2 | Round 37 |
| 16/05/15 | SA | Inter – Juventus | 1:2 | Round 36 |
| 10/05/15 | SA | Lazio – Inter | 1:2 | Round 35 |
Here are the last 3 games of EMPOLI: 1 draw, 2 lost
| 24/05/15 | SA | Empoli – Sampdoria | 1:1 | Round 37 | |||
| 17/05/15 | SA | Verona – Empoli | 2:1 | Round 36 | |||
| 10/05/15 | SA | Empoli – Fiorentina | 2:3 | Round 35 |
Photos of the match Inter vs Empoli courtesy of inter.it
Inter coach Roberto Mancini
Inter players congratulating Icardi for the goal.
Photo: facebook.com/empolifcofficialpage
2014 – 2015 Italian Serie A Week 38
Inter – Empoli
Sunday 31 May 2015
Giuseppe Meazza Stadium
Milan, Italy
20:45
Referee: DAMATO
Assistants: GIALLATINI – VIVENZI
Fourth Official: POSADO
ADD1: BANTI
ADD2: PEZZUTO
Goals: 49′ Rodrigo Placio (I), 53′ Mauro Icardi (I), 59′ Levan Mchedlidze (E), 62′ Manuel Pucciarelli (E), 70′ Marcelo Brozovic (I), 77′ Mauro Icardi (I), 88′ Levan Mchedlidze (E).
Official formations – lineups:
Inter (4-3-1-2): Handanović; Nagatomo, Felipe, Ranocchia, Juan Jesus; Brozović, Medel, Kovačić; Hernanes; Icardi, Palacio.
Subs.: Carrizo, Andreolli, Podolski, Kuzmanović, Obi, Santon, Gnoukouri, Puşcaş, Donkor, Dimarco, Bonazzoli, Correia.
Coach. Roberto Mancini
Empoli (4-3-1-2): Bassi; Laurini, Barba, Rugani, Hysaj; Vecino, Valdifiori, Croce; Saponara; Pucciarelli, Mchedlidze.
Subs: Pugliesi, Sepe, Signorelli, Tavano, Dioussé, Piu, Verdi, Mário Rui, Brillante, Tonelli, Zielinski, Somma.
Coach:. Sarri
Match Stats
| Inter | Match Stats | Empoli |
| 4 | Goals | 3 |
| 32 (9) | Shots (on goal) | 11 (5) |
| 13 | Fouls | 13 |
| 6 | Corner kicks | 0 |
| 3 | Offsides | 4 |
| 59% | Ball Possession | 41% |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 2 | Saves | 5 |
