Goals from Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez and a penalty by Hakan Calhanoglu gave Inter Milan a 3-0 win at Torino on Saturday, returning them provisionally to the top of the Serie A standings.
Simone Inzaghi’s team had lost their top spot just before the international break, following a 2-2 draw against Bologna at home earlier in the month.
Inter is top of the table with 22 points, one ahead of AC Milan, who host Juventus on Sunday. Torino is in 14th place with nine points.
The visitors struggled in the first half and had goalkeeper Yann Sommer to thank for a number of saves as the home crowd roared Torino on.
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However, Torino’s spirits was dampened as defender Perr Schuurs had to be stretchered off early in the second half, compounding its injury problems which already include striker Duvan Zapata.
With a key defender out, Torino began to lose focus at the back and struggled to mark its opponents effectively.
Thuram opened the scoring just before the hour mark as Denzel Dumfries delivered a cleverly disguised pass, allowing an unmarked Thuram to slot the ball into the far corner with his first touch.
Eight minutes later, Martinez extended the lead by heading in a deflected corner from close range, marking his 11th league goal this season.
Calhanoglu scored a third from the penalty spot five minutes into stoppage time, courtesy of a foul by Ivan Ilic on Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Inter will next host RB Salzburg in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday before AS Roma visit on October 29.
Kvaratskhelia nets twice and Napoli beats Verona 3-1
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia appears back to his stunning best as he scored two goals to help Napoli beat Hellas Verona 3-1 in Serie A on Saturday and relieve some of the pressure on coach Rudi Garcia.
With only four wins in the opening eight rounds, Garcia — who replaced title-winning coach Luciano Spalletti in the offseason — was already under pressure and had met several times with club president Aurelio De Laurentiis recently.
Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, left, celebrates scoring during the Serie A match between Hellas Verona and Napoli at Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium. in Verona, Italy. | Photo Credit: Paola Garbuio/ AP
Napoli was also without standout forward Victor Osimhen, who injured his right thigh while with Nigeria’s national team.
Napoli withstood a promising start from the home side before taking the lead in the 27th minute. Giacomo Raspadori did well to get in a cross from the left to the back post where Politano volleyed the ball into the bottom corner.
Politano turned provider two minutes before halftime as he sent Kvaratskhelia down the left and the winger cut inside, feinted and then squeezed a shot between Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò and the near post.
The Napoli duo combined again 10 minutes after the break as Kvaratskhelia sprinted from inside his own half onto a long Politano ball and raced clear before cutting inside past a defender and placing a precise effort into the bottom right corner.
- With Inputs from AP
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