Inter Milan secured Champions League qualification in their penultimate game of the Serie A season, dealing a fatal blow to Atalanta’s top-four hopes with a 3-2 win at San Siro.
The Nerazzurri – finalists in Europe’s premier club competition this term – stormed into a two-goal lead within just two minutes and 49 seconds after Lukaku and Barella were on target.
Atalanta needed a result to keep their slim hopes of a top-four finish alive, and they were handed a lifeline by Mario before the interval on Saturday.
Lu-La photos >>>>>#ForzaInter #InterAtalanta pic.twitter.com/LHuPYjXKDO
— Inter (@Inter_en) May 27, 2023
Yet Inter added a deserved third through Martinez after the break, making Onana’s late own goal a mere Atalanta consolation, as the Nerazzurri moved eight points clear of their fifth-placed visitors.nLukaku only needed 39 seconds to put Inter ahead, timing his run from Martinez’s through-ball before rounding Marco Sportiello and tapping into an empty net.
Atalanta found themselves further behind by the three-minute mark, Barella hammering a rebound into the roof of the net after Sportiello twice saved from Dimarco.
Hakan was denied a third by the offside flag when he netted with a ferocious volley before Onana was forced into action by Rasmus and Koopmeiners.
Atalanta halved the arrears nine minutes before half-time, Pasalic hooking a finish beyond Onana following a goalmouth scramble.
Calhanoglu drew a flying save from Sportiello as Atalanta wilted after the interval, Inter managing the game in a typically assured fashion.
Martinez stretched Inter’s lead further when Marcelo teed up a tap-in 13 minutes from time before Luis Muriel’s powerful long-range strike deflected in off the unfortunate Onana as the Nerazzurri just held on for the victory.
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