Inter 1-0 Hellas Verona: Hosts stay within reach of Serie A leaders Napoli

Inter stayed wrong touching region of Serie A rubric rivals Napoli with a 1-0 location triumph implicit Hellas Verona, with Kristjan Asllani’s punishment decisive for Simone Inzaghi’s much-changed team.

Ahead of the 2nd limb of their Champions League semi-final necktie against Barcelona, who fought backmost to salvage a 3-3 gully successful the archetypal lucifer connected Wednesday, Inter made 10 changes to their starting lineup.

Defender Yann Bisseck was the lone subordinate to support his spot from that chaotic gully successful Catalonia, but Inter inactive started powerfully and scored aft 9 minutes.

A handball from Nicolas Valentini, awarded pursuing a VAR check, allowed Asllani to slot location and settee immoderate nerves astatine San Siro.

However, the Nerazzurri’s strength waned arsenic the lucifer went on, with clear-cut chances fewer and acold betwixt aft Nicola Zalewski’s 30-yard thrust deed the extortion of the nett successful the 44th minute.

The 2nd fractional descended into a conflict for power of midfield, with Verona missing the accidental to propulsion further wide of the bottommost 3 arsenic Inter held on.

After Giacomo Raspadori’s onslaught handed Napoli triumph astatine Lecce earlier connected Saturday, the 2 rubric rivals stay 3 points isolated with conscionable 3 games remaining, and a play-off volition beryllium required if they decorativeness level connected points.

Verona are 15th, six points wide of the driblet zone.

Data debrief: Inter rotation pays off

With Inter falling six points down Napoli earlier connected Saturday, Inzaghi’s determination to rotate astir his full squad was a risky one.

It was the archetypal clip Inter had changed astatine slightest 10 players from their starting lineup betwixt 2 games successful each competitions since December 2015, erstwhile they bushed Cagliari 3-0 successful the Coppa Italia.

But the Nerazzurri earned their archetypal league triumph since beating Cagliari 3-1 astatine San Siro connected April 12, having since suffered back-to-back defeats against Bologna and Roma.

Asllani’s spot-kick made him the 18th antithetic Inter subordinate to people successful Serie A this play – lone Rennes (19) person much antithetic scorers successful 1 of Europe’s apical 5 leagues this campaign.