Inter-Arsenal 1-0. Calhanoglu penalty

Milan, 6 November 2024 – Inter rises to the top of the group of teams in second place Champions League 2024 / 2025. The victory about Arsenal is of fundamental importance in the continuation of the top continental competition with the aim of reaching the first eight places and the direct round of 16. Good Inter in the first half, aggressive at the beginning and attentive afterwards, with the decisive goal coming thanks to Calhanoglu on penalty at the end of the first half, then in the second half it was time to close ranks and resist with a low center of gravity for another clean sheet. Little Arsenal in front if not high balls into the area to hope for something. Inter at 10 points just two points from the top.  

Calhanoglu decides

Inzaghi surprisingly launches Lautaro and Taremi up front, an unusual pairing, in the middle he returns Calhanoglu but Zielinski is confirmed as a midfielder. Arteta with Trossard, Saka and Martinelli in attack to give a strong hand to Havertz. Inter starts off at full speed and finds two chances in the first two minutes. First it is Dumfries to shoot a right-footed shot that hits the woodwork, then he tries from distance Calhanoglu with the ball just missing the post to the right of StingrayThe Nerazzurri have the right attitude, with ball possession, high pressing and immediate recovery, forcing the Arsenal to often throw the ball away. The away team increases in intensity as the minutes pass, but Inter has a half chance also around the quarter of an hour with a good run by Taremi who almost finds Lautaro for the turn in the center of the area. Given the difficult start, the gunners set out to put the Nerazzurri's rhythms to sleep a bit with a long and reasoned possession of the ball, without forcing it towards the vertical so as not to lose bloody balls and leave the field to the counterattack. The result is a hard-fought, balanced match. The team of Inzaghi, however, often gives the impression that he can do harm every time he accelerates, however he lacks the right thrust in the final meters to definitively surprise the English defense. Inter risks in the 29th minute when on a cross from Martinelli the head of Merino to anticipate Summer, who hits him with his fists. The ball goes out and the referee lets an episode go by that in Italy has often been sanctioned as a penalty, but in Europe there is more permissiveness. After a good start, the match becomes more complicated and tangled, because Arsenal has reorganized itself after the Nerazzurri sprint and remains a team of great quality with the ball at their feet. The Gunners gain ground as the minutes pass, making the second part of the first half more peaceful for Stingray, which instead had risked a lot after two tight minutes of play. The real opportunities are therefore lacking, with the teams more attentive to preventive measures and not leaving the field open, because in this Champions League every point is important. However, there is a great opportunity for Inter at the end of the first half. On a free kick from the three-quarter line of Calhanoglu there is a clear handball by Merino in the Gunners' area, for the referee there is no doubt: penalty. Calhanoglu himself coolly transforms the lead from the penalty spot.  

Resistance recovery

Gabriel Jesus for Merino is Arteta's choice for the second half, with the clear intent of producing a Arsenal more offensive. The Gunners try to attack and get the equaliser, but they find themselves exposed behind where Inter can put their fast levers into action. San Siro trembles in the 58th minute when, on a corner from Trossard, a teammate's head appears in the centre of the area but Dumfries save everything on the line. Shortly after he tries havertz with a poisonous shot from distance that forces Summer to the deflection into the corner with the ball that was going into the corner. Around the hour mark, Arsenal's pressure in the Nerazzurri area became more intense, with a series of exchanges in Sommer's area in which Bisseck stands as a bulwark, so Inzaghi opts for fresh forces and inserts in one fell swoop Barella, Mkhitaryan to Thuram. The game is less beautiful in the possession phase, Arsenal is more dangerous on set pieces and Inter cannot find a quality maneuver on the counterattack to exploit the spaces in the open field. The Nerazzurri focus on the essentials, that is, defending the result in every way, and they partly succeed even if the counterattack remains imprecise with the team at a very low center of gravity. In the final Inzaghi gives them a breather Calhanoglu recently returned from an injury and there is room for Asllani: it is a matter of holding on and bringing home a result of fundamental importance. In the 72nd minute there is a half chance with Dumfries who fires a right-footed volley that goes wide and Inter seems to be in control of the match. Instead, in the 75th minute there is a bloody deflection that becomes an assist for havertz ready to kick with confidence finding the incredible save of Bisseck, definitely among the best on the pitch. Defensive change in the last ten minutes for Inzaghi who brings on Marco's for Taremi, perhaps with the aim of making the flanks more fluid, so we arrive at the last assaults of the gunners in search of a draw that would also be useful for the standings in the fight for the eighth finals. Arsenal puts balls into the area, more with crosses than with the ball on the ground and there are no big chances. The only real one is a left-footed shot from the new entrant Nwanari from the edge, but the ball ends up high in the roar, and the sigh of relief, of the Meazza. It ends like this, Inter wins, rising to 10 points and joining the second group behind Liverpool at 12 points. Now Napoli in the championship