Frattesi keeps Inter on course for derby-day coronation
UDINE, Italy — Davide Frattesi fired Inter Milan one step closer to the Serie A title with his last-gasp winner in Monday’s 2-1 comeback victory at struggling Udinese.
Italy midfielder Frattesi poked home the decisive goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time in Udine to maintain Inter’s 14-point lead at the top of the table with seven matches left in the season.
Inter looked to be heading for a draw as it toiled to add to Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty, scored nine minutes after halftime, which leveled Lazar Samardzic’s freak deflected opener for Udinese.
“We absolutely don’t think we’ve won it yet. We have other matches to play and we need to go out and get it,” Frattesi told Sky Sport.
“I’m really happy, it’s a really big win toward what we need to do. You can’t win every match 4-0, it’s important that you also manage to win the tough matches.”
AC Milan is Inter’s closest challenger and Monday’s win ensured that the champion-elect could seal its 20th Scudetto in a hotly anticipated derby with its fierce local rival in two weeks’ time.
Claiming the league crown with a sixth straight derby win would be some revenge for Calhanoglu who is detested by Milan supporters after switching sides to join Inter three years ago.
“In all honesty I don’t like talking about the other side from where I came,” said Calhanoglu.
“I respect them and I have a good relationship with the players. What happened in my first year here is history.
“I’m concentrated on my teammates because they’re fantastic... That’s what matters.”
Udinese, meanwhile, is in a desperate fight for survival as it is two points above the relegation zone and has to face Napoli, Roma and Bologna before the end of the season.
Inter is not playing with the same flair as it did before being knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid but it gritted its teeth to come from behind at the Bluenergy Stadium.
Simone Inzaghi’s side not only has the chance to win the title in the Milan derby but can also beat the single-season points record of 102 set by Juventus in 2014.
On 82 points, Inter needs to win all of its remaining seven matches to take its total for this campaign to 103.
Samardzic’s goal came toward the end of a first half in which Inter went close to scoring three times only to be denied by super saves from Maduka Okoye.
Nigeria goalkeeper Okoye twice denied Calhanoglu from opening the scoring with fine efforts from distance before Samardzic gave the host a shock lead.
And Okoye pulled off another stunning stop two minutes after his team went ahead, stretching to his left to keep out Lautaro Martinez’s thumping goal-bound header.
Inter was frustrated again right after the break when Carlos Augusto’s close-range finish was ruled out for offside. However, not long afterward, Okoye was penalized for crashing into Marcus Thuram and gave away the spot-kick from which Calhanoglu equalized.