Venezia 0-1 Inter Milan: Darmian's winner sees Nerazzurri keep touch with league leaders
Inter Milan has achieved a historic milestone by winning six consecutive Serie A away matches without conceding a goal, following Matteo Darmian’s early strike that secured a 1-0 victory against Venezia at the Stadio Pierluigi Penzo.
In an interesting twist, Inter was also aiming for six league victories in succession, as well as a sixth consecutive win in the opening Serie A match of a new calendar year. True to their tradition, Inter dominated the initial fifteen minutes before taking the lead.
The play was initiated by Kristjan Asllani, who delivered a long ball that bypassed the Venezia defense and reached Lautaro Martinez. Martinez attempted a shot as the ball descended, and although Filip Stankovic managed to make a save, he could only deflect it into the path of Darmian, who netted his second league goal of the season.
Venezia's attempts to respond were limited against Inter’s swift passing and threatening possession, although Joel Pohjanpalo did manage to force a block from Alessandro Bastoni during a rare offensive move.
Throughout the match, Inter maintained a strong grip on the game, and Martinez missed a clear opportunity to extend the lead when he was played through with a precise pass ten minutes before halftime, only to underperform with his shot, allowing Stankovic an easy save.
Early in the second half, Venezia squandered a prime opportunity to equalize. A one-two exchange from a corner between Gianluca Busio and Hans Nicolussi Caviglia resulted in an inswinging cross that deflected, giving Issa Doumbia a free header, which was remarkably saved at close range by Yann Sommer.
Inter quickly sought to reassert their dominance, with Taremi making a strong advance, only to be thwarted by Jay Idzes, who prevented him from taking a clear shot from the edge of the penalty area.
As the match approached the three-quarter mark, Davide Frattesi had the opportunity to decisively eliminate Venezia from contention. He seized a loose ball within the penalty area and aimed to place it past Stankovic. However, the Venezia goalkeeper demonstrated his agility once more, deflecting the shot away from danger. Following this, Venezia's coaching staff made a double substitution in a bid to initiate a final offensive effort to secure at least a point.
Approximately 20 minutes before the final whistle, it was Busio who came close to equalizing. He received a clever pass at the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a shot, only to be thwarted as his attempt struck the post.
Having allowed seven of their 15 league goals this season to be scored after the 80th minute, Inter had no reason to feel complacent. Nevertheless, they successfully navigated this unexpectedly challenging match against the league's second-to-last team, thereby closing the gap to just one point behind leaders Napoli, with a game still in hand.
For Venezia, improved finishing could have potentially yielded a more favorable outcome. However, with a five-point deficit from safety, their chances of mounting a credible fight for survival are diminishing rapidly.
SportsLigue