SSN Special Report: Alessandro Buonjourno in Milan

SSN's Serie A Expert Alessandro Buonjourno recently departed SSN Headquarters for a brief jaunt to Europe. He took in Inter's match against Hellas Verona on Saturday and filed this report. Next up for Alessandro is Arsenal vs. Liverpool. Stay tuned...     -The Editor

San Siro Sunset

Inter Milan 4 – 2 Hellas Verona

Match Report

10/26/2013

Four gol di culo were enough to see Inter reclaim fourth from surprise package Verona on a perfect fall evening at the San Siro Saturday. Whether or not Inter’s sloppy concession after two early goals was due in part to the distracting and awkward choreography of the Curva Nord’s statement against recent FIGC sanctions, Walter Mazzarri’s men were ultimately little troubled by a Verona side unable to respond adequately to Inter’s scrappy assortment of goals poached  exclusively inside the six-yard box.

Things got going early for Inter, albeit with Jonathan likely knowing little about turning in Cambiasso’s redirected corner kick on ten minutes, with Wilson Palacios  following up two minutes later with a more purposeful  cross-goal effort from similar range. The defensive frailties that undid Inter last season returned however when the oncoming Martinho did well to chest down a return pass on the edge of the area and find the space and composure to slot past  Juan Carrizo, (deputizing for the suspended Hamdanovic), sending an already boisterous away crowd into head-rattling rapture. This was in stark contrast to the home support opposite them, who had spent the previous two goals un-and refurling a series of protest banners. Cambiasso added Inter’s third in the 38^th minute, stabbing in from close range after Nagatomo’s well-struck shot rebounded of the far post.

The withdrawal of Cambiasso and Palacios in the second half noticeably blunted Inter’s attacking threat, but an own goal bundled across the line from an Alvarez corner sealed things for the home side, putting them up 4-1 in the 61^st minute. Verona did manage to pull one back following some classic back-to-goal holdup work from former Azzurri talisman and eternal journeyman (15 clubs and counting) Luca Toni, who passed neatly along the edge of the box in the 71^st minute for Romulo to shoot into the bottom corner. Both sides went down to ten men in the 90^th minute for afters between Moras and Belfodil, but the scoreline held, sending satisfied home fans back into Milan amidst droning columns of departing mopeds and the distant echo of Verona supporters, still in full song.

-Alessandro Buonjourno