Inter Milan 2-0 Lazio Player Ratings: Marko Arnautovic’s sublime volley sets up a Milan Derby in Semis

Marko Arnautovic scored one of the goals of the tournament to take his side to the next round in the Coppa Italia. Inter Milan beat Lazio 2-0 to advance to the semis at San Siro. Inter were the second-best in the game till the Austrian put his left foot on the half-cleared corner to give them the lead. Lazio were the better side till the hour mark but the game changed after Inzaghi used a triple sub. Joaquin Correa won a penalty and Hakan Calhanoglu dispatched it to make it 2-0 and seal the result for them.

Both sides rotated in the quarterfinals of the cup to provide some rest to the key starters. Inter pretty much fielded their second XI as stars like Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan all found themselves on the bench. Fringe players and bench options got the chance to start and impress. Lazio too took the same route but they weren’t quite as luxurious as Inter as key starters had to start.

Lazio started the game in inspired form as they took the fight to Serie A leaders. Boulaye Dia was played in on goal early on but Yann Bisseck recovered brilliantly to foil his shot. They pressed Inter with intensity as the Nerazzurri struggled to get to match speed.

Gustav Isaksen was the chief architect for the Eagles as the Dane shot twice from outside the box from either foot. Inter’s custodian Josep Martinez had to be extremely alert to palm those efforts away. Inter too found their feet despite the barrage of shots from Lazio. They went forward and earned a corner against the run of play.

A half-cleared corner fell Marko Arnautovic’s way in the 39th minute. The Austrian then rolled back the years as he met it so sweetly with his left foot and sent it crashing into the inside side netting past a hapless Christos Mandas from 30 yards out. That was the first shot of the game for the hosts and the 35-year-old took it with aplomb.

The goal coming against the run of the play rattled Lazio as they conceded sloppy fouls. Kristjan Asllani of Inter almost doubled their advantage with yet another long-range effort but was marginally wide. Lazio had to respond in the second half as they were staring at a quarter-final elimination.

Lazio started the second half with better intent too but Isaksen wasn’t able to find another white shirt after catching out Martinez in Inter’s box. Mattia Zaccagni then shot straight at Martinez after a cross-beat everyone and fell his way. Marco Baroni on the hour mark made a triple change to turn the game in his side’s favour. Simone Inzaghi too responded with a triple change.

The substitutions worked in Inter’s favour as they controlled the game much better. Chance creation improved too with Calhanoglu’s introduction. Joaquin Correa danced through the Lazio box before being caught on his ankle by Samuel Gigot in the 75th minute.

Calhanoglu stepped up to take the resulting penalty and calmly slotted it to the goalkeeper’s right to make it 2-0 and live up to his specialist penalty-taker reputation. The second goal took the wind out of the sails for Lazio as Inter strolled past them in the final 15 minutes.

This exciting win for the Nerazzurri sets up a Milan derby in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. The league leaders will turn their attention to the all-important title decider against Napoli on Saturday. A win would put them in the driver’s seat for yet another Serie A title. Lazio will face yet another Milan side in AC Milan on Monday to hunt for the Champions League spots. Here are the Inter Milan vs Lazio Player Ratings.

Inter Milan Player Ratings

Gk – Josep Martinez – 6/10

The Spaniard was subjected to high pressing by Lazio’s forward line earlier in the first half. Struggled at times as he was caught once as well. Did make a key save from Zaccagni in the second half.

CB – Benjamin Pavard – 6/10

Won all the duels that came his way as he defended the box brilliantly. Tried to progress the ball forward with his usual long passes.

CB – Stefan de Vrij – 6/10

Not at his fluent best. The Dutch man did allow runners to get in behind him at times. Struggled to get a hold of Isaken cutting in from either flank and shooting.

CB – Yann Bissouma – 7/10

The German recovered excellently to block Dia’s effort which would’ve surely ended up in the back of the net. Showed similar defensive solidarity throughout the game. Advanced out of defence with his highly rated dribbling too.

RWB – Mattero Darmian – 6/10

The Italian was unfortunate to leave the field after the first quarter owing to a hamstring injury.

CM – Davide Frattesi – 6/10

Combined with Darmian early on to put a cross into the box. Was always reacting in the game as Lazio’s midfield duo dictated the pace.

CM – Kristjan Asslani – 7/10

Was booked early on for swiping Zaccagni down. Imroved as the game went on and had a long-range effort fly wide of the target. Was replaced on the hour mark owing to the yellow card.

CM – Piotr Zielinski – 6/10

Yet another passenger on the field as the game passed him very quickly. Tried his best to give his side control in the game but failed to do so.

LWB – Federico Dimarco – 6.5/10

Provided an attacking presence on the left-hand side. Was never quite threatening offensively as he had to deal with Isaksen who was cutting in quite frequently.

ST – Marko Arnautovic – 8/10

The Austrian had only 5 passes in the first half but he wouldn’t care as he scored a goal for the ages. His thunderous left-footed volley was enough to seal the result. He did a lot of tracking back to help his side protect the lead.

ST – Mehdi Taremi – 6/10

The Iranian was quite behind the game’s pace and had only one touch in the opposition box. He failed to collect Arnautovic’s pass as the ball hit his trailing leg and summed up his day.

Sub – Denzel Dumfries – 7/10

The Dutch man came on in the first half to replace the injured Darmian. He was full of running and attacking threats as the game went on.

Sub – Hakan Calhanoglu – 7.5/10

Replaced Asslani to help his side get a foot back in the game. Created chances instantly. He buried the penalty won by Correa to seal the result.

Sub – Alessandro Bastoni – 7/10

The Italian was involved in a heavy clash of heads with De Vrij. Managed to play on with a bandage and fired some delightful long passes.

Sub – Joaquin Correa – 7/10

Came on with the hopes of scoring a goal but won a penalty with a skillful dribble into the opposition box.

Sub – Nicolo Barella – N/A

A 10-minute cameo to replace the tiring Frattesi.

Manager – Simone Inzaghi 7/10

An excellent result for him despite rotating heavily. This kept the starting XI fit before the key clash against Napoli in the league and also helped his side progress in the cup. He will not read too much into the first-half performance as Lazio almost fielded their starting XI.

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Lazio Player Ratings

GK – Christos Mandas – 5.5/10

The goalkeeper failed to exude confidence while playing out from the back. He was unmoved when Arnautovic scored his goal and had a lazy dive when Calhagnolu sent his penalty past him.

RB – Manuel Lazzari – 6/10

Created a glorious chance for Zaccagni in the second half. Perhaps should’ve ventured forward more to help his side chase the game.

CB – Samuel Gigot – 5/10

An average performance till the end went downhill because of his choice to leave a dangling leg on Correa. Needless challenge to present Inter with a penalty and end the clash as a contest.

CB – Alessio Romagnoli – 6/10

The centre-back was targeted by Inter’s strikers who took turns competing for aerials with him and pressed him as the trigger. Was identified and replaced at half-time.

LB – Luca Pellegrini – 6/10

The ever-attacking Luca Pellegrini was in the act again but he was well foiled by a determined Benjamin Pavard. The Frenchman knew what was coming and stood up against Pellegrini stopping him in his tracks.

DM – Nicolo Rovella – 7/10

Another impressive game from the youngster as he got the better of Inter’s midfield. But to his frustration, he couldn’t conjure any special moment in the attack.

DM – Matteo Guendouzi – 7.5/10

A commendable performance to win the ball back and progress with it throughout the game. Did well to restrict the dangerous Inter side.

RW – Gustav Isaksen – 7/10

Lazio’s best attacker on the night. Shot twice in the first half and tested the goalkeeper. Pressed Inter relentlessly but was always lacking the final ball.

CAM – Boulaye Dia – 6.5/10

He couldn’t create anything of use throughout the game. When he was played in by Zaccagni he hesitated for a moment allowing Bisseck to jump in.

LW – Mattia Zaccagni – 7/10

Created a chance for Dia in the first half. Should have scored in the second with a volley but shot straight at Martinez. Was hauled off on the hour mark for fresh legs.

ST – Loum Tchaouna – 6/10

The youngster was well handled by the Inter defence who gave him nothing to sniff. Failed to hold the ball and bring others into play.

Sub – Mario Glia – 6/10

On at half-time to play out from the back efficiently.

Sub – Nuno Tavares – 6.5/10

Was full of purposeful running in attack and defence. But couldn’t make any tangible contribution.

Sub – Pedro – 6/10

Drove through Inter’s midfield and hit the crossbar with a deflected effort.

Sub – Tijjani Noslin – 6/10

Failed to offer a new dimension to their attack while chasing the game.

Sub – Arijon Ibrahimovic – N/A

Came on for a cameo and was booked immediately for a poor challenge.

Manager – Marco Baroni – 6/10

Despite fielding his full-strength XI and dominating the game, he failed to find a go-ahead goal. The inability to score came back to bite him. The substitutions made on the hour mark didn’t work out as well for his side.

Sportsdunia’s Player of the Match goes to: Marko Arnautovic