Dumfries is beaten at the far post: Inter cannot get past Napoli

Inter failed to wash away the midweek Champions League hangover against Atlético Madrid with a win. Coach Simone Inzaghi's team led 1-0 for a long time thanks to a goal by Matteo Darmian, until Juan Jesus nodded in from a corner kick ten minutes before the end: 1-1. Inter does not have to worry about the draw. The lead over number two AC Milan is fourteen points. Napoli, which is seventh, takes an important point with a view to a European ticket.

There were no Dutch people at the kick-off at Inter. Darmian was preferred to Denzel Dumfries on the right of midfield, although he would still come on. This did not apply to fellow bench members Stefan de Vrij and Davy Klaassen. At Napoli, Victor Osimhen was on the bench for the entire match.

Inter quickly looked for the attack through Marcus Thuram, who was stopped at the last moment by Juan Jesus. The Brazilian center back made another crucial intervention moments later, depriving Lautaro Martínez of a shooting opportunity.

In the next phase it was a small miracle that Inter did not take the lead. First of all, Napoli goalie Alex Meret had a good answer to Darmian's falling header. Meret got up in time to also save Lautaro's rebound. The rebound of the rebound was prey for Nicolò Barella, who shot high. Inter continued to push and put pressure, while Napoli barely featured in the piece.

However, Inter played themselves out of the game a bit, as several attacks came to nothing due to offside. Giacomo Raspadori provided one of Napoli's few dangerous moments, but his cracked shot never really became dangerous. Not much later, Hamed Traorè headed wide. Just before half time, Inter struck again. Alessandro Bastoni neatly put it back to Darmian, who found the far corner at the penalty spot: 1-0.

Inter remained the dominant party after the break, although the upcoming national champions lacked the necessary sharpness. Lautaro came across Meret, who moments later saw Thuram's effort go over. Meret was one of the better players on Napoli's side, as evidenced by his excellent save on a free kick from Federico Dimarco.

Napoli fought back into the match little by little and already issued a warning to Inter when Traorè's header went over and wide. Moments later, Raspadori got some space on the right side and sprinted towards Yann Sommer, who was relieved to see how the Italian was put off the ball by one of his defenders.

Ten minutes before the end, Juan Jesus scored the equalizer, which was coming in the second half. The man marker showed that he can head excellently at the far post, although he was also given far too much space by substitute Dumfries: 1-1. In the final phase, Inter went on the hunt for victory, which resulted in an entertaining final phase. However, there were no hits.

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