Martinez gets off the mark as Inter bounce back from derby defeat to down Udinese
Living up to their reputation as fast-starters in Serie A, Inter Milan caught Udinese cold after just 40 seconds. Matteo Darmian’s defence-splitting pass freed Davide Frattesi, who tucked his finish under Maduka Okoye for I Nerazzurri’s fourth league goal inside the opening 10 minutes this season.
Inter then had near-complete control in the opening 30 minutes but missed several big chances to double their lead, with Lautaro Martínez and Frattesi guilty of squandering golden opportunities by firing wide from six yards out.
The Bianconeri punished those shows of profligacy and levelled just before half-time, when Christian Kabasele headed in his first Serie A goal since March 2023 low past Yann Sommer from Jordan Zemura’s perfectly-weighted cross.
Having seen their side score for the seventh home league game in succession, many Udinese fans would have hoped for a complete turnaround against the champions, but Martinez soon restored Inter’s lead at the Stadio Friuli, poking in from Federico Dimarco’s low cross.
Martinez didn’t hang around to seal his second of the afternoon either, taking just two minutes after the restart to double Inter’s lead.
Combining to deadly effect with a familiar ally, Marcus Thuram controlled on the edge of the area, shrugged off his marker and teed up Martinez, who fired into the bottom corner past a helpless Okoye.
Udinese pushed for a late response but were frustrated by a determined Inter backline, who threw themselves in the way to block close-range attempts from Oier Zarraga and Kabasele.
The Nerazzurri were given a late scare with 10 minutes remaining though, as substitute Lorenzo Lucca raced through and slotted past Sommer to set up a tense finale.
However, the visitors managed to see out their third win of the season.
Following a 3-0 loss at AS Roma last weekend, Kosta Runjaic has endured his first back-to-back defeats as Udinese boss, and their four-match unbeaten run to start the SA campaign is starting to feel like a distant memory.
Meanwhile, Simone Inzaghi’s Inter were back to their best here after a three-match winless run, and an early weekend victory has helped the San Siro outfit close the gap on surprise early leaders Torino.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)