Player Ratings: Inter 1-0 Verona – Asllani Fires Nerazzurri Back to Winning Ways | OneFootball

Inter restored a three-point deficit to Serie A leaders Napoli with a hard-earned 1-0 home win against bottom-half Hellas Verona. It wasn’t a convincing performance from Simone Inzaghi’s experimental line-up by any stretch of the imagination.

However, Inter got the job done, courtesy of Kristjan Asllani’s early penalty. The Albanian put away a ninth-minute spot-kick to break the deadlock and eventually set the final score. Little did anyone at Giuseppe Meazz know it would be the last strike of the game.

Yet, without Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez, Inter lacked the lethal instinct in the front third. For perspective, the reigning Scudetto holders only produced one shot on target outside Asllani’s penalty. That probably best sums up Inter’s lackluster showing.

For what it’s worth, Inter halted a two-game losing streak in Serie A while protecting their unbeaten home record against Verona. Paolo Zanetti’s charges had sporadic attempts to threaten Josep Martinez’s goal, but their scoring woes came to the fore again.

Verona’s fourth consecutive scoreless outing made it easy for Inter, keeping the Nerazzurri in the title picture ahead of the last three rounds. Without further ado, let’s look at our player ratings.

Inter (3-5-2)

Josep Martinez – 6.5

Yann Sommer’s deputy only had to make one save tonight, but it was a superb diving stop to thwart Amin Sarr’s thunderous attempt from close range.

Carlos Augusto – 7.5

Swooped in for Alessandro Bastoni in the back three, Augusto delivered another reassuring performance, showing strength and pace to snuff out rare counter-attacks.

Stefan de Vrij – 7

Composed in possession and confident stepping into midfield when needed, the Dutch veteran contributed to building play from the back while dominating his opponents in the air.

Yann Bisseck – 7

The German center-back barely put his wrong tonight, holding up his end of the bargain defensively and venturing forward numerous times to provide depth on the right flank.

Matteo Darmian – 6

Well below this season’s level, the Italian full-back struggled on both ends of the field and even picked up a reckless booking for a naive challenge midway through the first half.

Davide Frattesi – 6

It’s no wonder Inzaghi prefers Nicolo Barella over him. Despite all the desire and commitment, the ex-Sassuolo star couldn’t find any influence on proceedings.

Kristjan Asllani – 7.5

It requires some courage to take a penalty amid all the criticism, yet the Albanian was calm and collected. The goal significantly bolstered his confidence as he nearly slotted home a long-range thunderbolt.

Piotr Zielinski – 6.5

It’s a pity the Pole ran out of steam after a lively start, but a lack of regular first-team action is seemingly taking its toll.

Nicola Zalewski – 6.5

Far more active than Darmian, the Roma loanee pushed forward down the left flank, offering width and delivering several dangerous crosses, even if there was no end product.

Joaquin Correa – 6

The Argentine failed to score against his favorite opposition and, in all fairness, never put Lorenzo Montipo to the test in another substandard performance.

Marko Arnautovic – 6.5

His attempted layoff led to Inter’s penalty. Despite lacking presentable chances in the opposition’s box, the Austrian striker was heavily involved in the link-up play.

Substitutes