Inter stumble at home and lose to Empoli in the Italian Championship

After defeating the biggest rival Milan in the Italian Super Cup, Inter lost at home to Empoli by 1-0, this Monday, for the 19th round of the Italian Championship. With one more from the first half, the visitors scored the winning goal with Tommaso Baldanzi.

First time

With Dzeko and Lukaku on the bench, Inter had Joaquín Correa alongside Lautaro Martínez in charge of the attack. While the Nerazzurri were not on the field, Empoli were the ones most in danger at the start of the first half. Cambiaghi received a long throw, invaded the area and forced Onana to make a great save.

Inter’s first chance only came after 20 minutes of play. After a cross from the right, left winger Dimarco appeared free in the area and sent a first-rate volley, but goalkeeper Vicario saved it. The home team realized the advantage on the left side and abused this move with Dimarco.

At the end of the first half, defender Skriniar received a second booking after a tackle with his high foot and was expelled from the match.

Level at the break ⚖️#ForzaInter #InterEmpoli pic.twitter.com/3mxYWG1IHg

— Inter (@Inter_en) January 23, 2023

Second time

With one down, Inter struggled to defend against Empoli’s quick attacks. In the 20th minute of the second stage, Bajrami started on the right and found a pass for Baldanzi on the edge of the area. The player dominated and kicked hard to open the scoring at San Siro.

Coach Simone Inzaghi put Lukaku and Dzeko on the field to seek a draw. Inter managed to rehearse pressure and took danger in the aerial plays. In the 30th minute, Çalhanoğlu crossed for Dzeko on a counterattack, the Bosnian took the ball first, but it scraped past the outside of the crossbar. Then, after a corner kick, Inter stopped at the crossbar.

Despite the suffocating pressure from Inter at the end, Empoli managed to defend themselves and held on for a heroic victory at the San Siro.

📸⚽ Tommy 😍 pic.twitter.com/cB5yWOOLR0

— Empoli Football Club Official (@EmpoliFC) January 23, 2023

position in the table

With the defeat, Inter parks in the 3rd position of the table with 37 points and can see rival Milan open up an advantage in vice-leadership. On the other hand, Empoli recovers the 9th place of the Italian Serie A, surpasses the Juventus and reaches 25 points.

Earlier this Monday, Bologna drew 1-1 with Cremonesi at the Renato Dall’Ara Stadium. The goals were scored by David Okereke and Vlad Chiriches (own).

🔵 @EmpoliFC wreaths and @Inter_br away from home and goes to his second consecutive victory in the #SerieA💎!#InterEmpoli pic.twitter.com/QrRfsZnre8

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_BR) January 23, 2023