MILAN – Nerazzurri sporting director Piero Ausilio spoke after Inter’s 2-2 draw with Napoli. “It was a great 2-2. We had a fantastic first half; it was all us. I think that the team proved what it’s all about today. We’re all together,” he said.
When asked about Vidic, Ausilio said: “Mistakes are a part of football; you can’t judge players on them. He played brilliantly for 95 minutes. We were really stretched today though – Obi had to play on the right and he did very well. Kovacic and Medel were only passed fit very late on, too. We did as much as we could.”
WUHAN – Kick-off finally arrived and Inter Forever did not disappoint. The second Nerazzurri match of the Chinese tour ended with an 0-5 victory over Hubei. However, the result belies the fact that Inter Forever were made to work hard for the victory in front of a sizeable crowd; the Chinese outfit were thoroughly well-drilled throughout.
After a steady start, Suazo scored the first Nerazzurri goal after a sumptuous Djorkaeff assist. Soon after, with Hubei pushing for an equaliser, Inter countered through Suazo. Hiang, the keeper, came steaming out of his area and brought the striker down in a desperate attempt to prevent him from shooting. The referee had no choice but to give him his marching orders.
With the heat sweltering, Inter Forever were visibly tired despite their one-man advantage. Already without Figo, who suffered an abductor strain in the warm-up, Inter then lost Fresi and Galante shortly before half-time. The Nerazzurri needed their captain Toldo, who kept out everything that the Chinese side threw at his goal.
Not long into the second half, Suazo expertly sprung the offside trap to run through one-on-one with the keeper, who brought the Inter man down for a clear penalty. Kallon dispatched the spot kick to make it 2-0.
The goal seemed to break Hubei’s resistance, and the Nerazzurri scored their third through a scintillating right-footed thirty-yard effort from Ousmane Dabo. That would’ve been the end of it, but Youri Djorkaeff had other ideas.
The Frenchman completed a man of the match performance with a magnificent late brace. The 1998 World Cup winner demonstrated his immortal quality for all the Chinese Nerazzurri fans to see.
After the match, Colonnese and Francesco Toldo spoke to the press. There were sincere thanks for the exceptionally warm welcome and great support from the organisers and the club’s partners at Pirelli.
Inter Forever leave China aware that many other important trips await them. For now, it’s arrivederci to China and the Far East!
MILAN – President Thohir spoke to inter.it after the final whistle of the match against Napoli. “Thank you to the fans for the support; it was important to create the right atmosphere and that was down to you. You propelled the team on to respond immediately.
“I’m proud of the players’ and the coach’s battling spirit. We’re back! And I’m sure we’ll see the same battling spirit on the pitch and in the stands in the Europa League on Thursday.”
MILAN – It was a thrilling encounter at the San Siro, with the visitors scoring twice, only to receive an immediate counterpunch from the Nerazzurri on both occasions. And once again, the Inter fans played their part to the fullest by urging the team on to make it a true group effort.
Obi sparked the game to life after five minutes with his shot from the right. Napoli were clearly struggling under Inter’s high-pressure approach, and on one occasion Britos was called into action to snuff out a Nerazzurri attack. On ten minutes Hernanes found Icardi, who attempted a first-time angled shot that Rafael did well to save for a corner. Icardi was still hungry though, and nearly notched the opener when he soared to meet Dodo’s cross, sending it narrowly off target.
Napoli were against the ropes and tried to respond when Hamsik tested Handanovic. In the 39th minute Hernanes showed a wonderful piece of skill by chesting the ball down before blasting it off the post. The first half ended with the fans struggling to catch their breath.
The second half began precisely how the first one ended: with the ball crashing off the woodwork once again, this time courtesy of Insigne. The Nerazzurri took off on a quick counter on 55 minutes with Hernanes serving Kovacic; the number 10 shot, only to see his effort blocked in the box. Then on 79 minutes Callejon capitalised on some indecision in the Inter box to put the ball beyond Handanovic and into the net. Napoli were ahead.
It felt like a sucker punch for the Nerazzurri, but they quickly showed they were capable of responding: Icardi headed Dodo’s corner to the far post, where the newly entered Guarin pounced to sidefoot the ball past a surprised Rafael. And the San Siro crowed roared their approval.
On 90 minutes Callejon struck again with a well-placed volley. And once again Inter showed they were still in it as Hernanes launched himself skyward to smash his header into the net for an injury-time equaliser. The San Siro erupted, the Prophet celebrated with his traditional somersault, and a thrilling encounter finished 2-2.
57% Ball Possession INTER and 43% Ball Possession NAPOLI Inter 2 – 2 Napoli
82′ Fredy Guarin 79′ Jose Maria Callejon
91′ Hernanes 90′ Jose Maria Callejon.
Serie A Standing BEFORE the game:
Inter, 10th position with 8 points and a positive goal difference of +3
Napoli, 7th position with 10 points and a positive goal difference of +3
Pos
Team
P
W
D
L
Goals
DIFF
Points
7
Napoli
6
3
1
2
8:7
1
10
10
Inter
6
2
2
2
11:8
3
8
Inter failing to win this home game against Napoli. However, despite a struggling draw, it is a ray of hope for the fans to see Inter battling until the end without giving up and scoring the equalizer goal in the 91st minute with midfielder Hernanes. Curious detail, there were only 2 Italian players in the initial starting lineup defender Andrea Ranocchia and Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne. A game definitely with International players.
Inter suffering two big defeats against Cagliari and Fiorentina leading to a deep crisis. It’s an emotional game for the ex Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri now with Inter and the ex Inter coach Rafael Benitez now with Napoli. As a matter of fact, Mazzarri sent off by Referee Damato in the 83rd minute for leaving the technical area .. protesting…
Napoli opening the score in the 79th minute with forward Jose Maria Callejon defeating Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic with a right footed shot in the center. The Meazza Stadium in disbelief!
Inter equalizing for a 1-1 in the 82nd minute with midfielder Fredy Guarin following a corner conceded by Napoli forward Jose Maria Callejon. The assist is by forward Mauro Icardi for Guarin delivering a right footed shot from close range defeating Napoli goalkeeper Rafale ….. and there you go the ball all the way to the bottom right corner.
Inter making a final substitution in the 89th minute to add fresh energy. Midfielder Yann M’Vila replacing forward Rodrigo Palacio.
Cold water! In the 90th minute it is Napoli to increase the score again with Jose Maria Callejon defeating this time Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic with a left footed shot in the bottom right corner. The assist is by David Lopez.
Hey, hey, hey, what a quick reaction! Just a minute after the goal by Callejon, bam! Inter scoring in the 91st minute with midfielder Hernanes to equalize for the 2-2 with a headed goal defeating Napoli goalkeeper in the bottom right corner.
Precedents for Inter vs Napoli games are 68 seeing Inter winning 45, Napoli winning only 8 and 15 draws. 197 goals with Inter scoring 132 and 65 goals by Napoli.
Here is INTER official starting lineup by coach Walter Mazzarri:
Inter (3-5-2): Handanovic; Ranocchia, Vidic, Juan Jesus; Obi, Hernanes, Medel, Kovacic, Dodô; Palacio, Icardi
Here is NAPOLI official starting lineup by coach Rafael Benitez:
Napoli (4-2-3-1): Rafael; Zuniga, Albiol, Koulibaly, Britos; Inler, David Lopez; Callejon, Hamsik, Insigne; Higuain.
