Inter beat Genoa to go Top of Serie A

A late goal from Lautaro Martinez, officially credited after a deflection off Genoa’s Patrizio Masini, earned Inter Milan a 1-0 victory over Genoa at the San Siro on Saturday, sending them provisionally to the top of Serie A. The win moves Inter to 57 points, one point ahead of Napoli, who face Como on Sunday. Genoa remain in 12th place with 30 points.

Inter, entering the match after a run of just one win in their previous four games, were seeking a confidence boost ahead of next week’s crucial clash with Napoli. However, they struggled to break down a resolute Genoa defense in a largely uneventful first half. Despite dominating possession in the opening stages, Inter failed to create clear scoring opportunities.

The home side’s attacking options were limited by the absence of the injured Marcus Thuram, their leading scorer in the league this season. Joaquin Correa, making only his second start of the campaign, was forced off with an injury at halftime, replaced by Mehdi Taremi.

The second half saw a slight increase in tempo. Denzel Dumfries missed an early chance for Inter, blasting over the bar, while Genoa remained disciplined and looked to counter-attack.

After over an hour without a shot on target, Inter were twice denied in quick succession. Mattia Bani cleared a header off the line from a corner, and Genoa goalkeeper Nicola Leali parried away Taremi’s effort. Nicolo Barella then struck the crossbar with a powerful shot as Inter intensified their pressure.

Genoa almost snatched the lead against the run of play when Caleb Ekuban’s close-range header was blocked by Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez. Martinez, making his league debut for Inter in place of the injured Yann Sommer, ironically spent the previous two seasons as Genoa’s goalkeeper.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 78th minute. A glancing header from Lautaro Martinez from a corner took a deflection off Genoa midfielder Patrizio Masini and found its way past Leali into the net.

Genoa pushed for an equalizer in the closing stages, but Inter had opportunities to extend their lead, with Leali denying both Taremi and Martinez. Simone Inzaghi’s side held on for a crucial victory, putting pressure on Napoli to respond on Sunday. The win, while not convincing, provides Inter with a vital three points in their pursuit of the Scudetto.