Serie A | Inter 1-0 Genoa: Lautaro Martinez luck breaks solid Grifone wall

MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 22: Lautaro Martinez of FC Internazionale scores his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Genoa at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 22, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Lautaro Martinez needed a lucky deflection as Inter eventually got the better of plucky Genoa after Nicolò Barella rattled the underside of the crossbar.

The Nerazzurri were feeling anxious after the defeat to Juventus and losing goalkeeper Yann Sommer for three weeks to a fractured thumb, meaning Josep Martinez made his league debut against his former club. Marcus Thuram, Carlos Augusto and Hakan Calhanoglu were also not at 100 per cent. Genoa missed Vitinha, Milan Badelj, Morten Thorsby, Honest Ahanor and Lior Kassa, with Mario Balotelli still frozen out.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Tucu Correa got a rare start, but was accidentally in the way of an early Denzel Dumfries volley, while Jeff Ekhator couldn’t steer the header on target from Andrea Pinamonti’s cross.

Benjamin Pavard’s effort was deflected wide of the near post, while Stefano Sabelli charged down the Federico Dimarco angled drive.

Correa picked up a knee injury and was replaced by Mehdi Taremi for the restart. Dumfries ballooned over the bar from a Nicolò Barella lay-off, but Genoa had a big chance when Ekhator shrugged off Dumfries to send Fabio Miretti clear through the middle, denied by a desperate Francesco Acerbi block as he pulled the trigger.

Barella spotted the goalkeeper off his line and attempted a lob from the centre-circle, while the ball had perhaps already gone out of play on a corner before Mattia Bani’s difficult clearance and Nicola Leali’s save on Pavard.

Inter were unlucky not to take the lead on 70 minutes when substitute Hakan Calhanoglu laid it off for a ferocious Barella strike outside the area, bouncing off the underside of the crossbar at the near top corner.

Genoa also threatened soon after, as a corner was knocked down for Caleb Ekuban’s header, forcing a desperate Josep Martinez save from point-blank range.

Inter finally broke the deadlock with a little bit of luck, because Lautaro Martinez got his head to the Calhanoglu corner, but the deflection off Patrizio Masini’s chest saw it squirm in at the near bottom corner.

The luck is on Lautaro Martinez’s side as Inter lead through a deflected header

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Genoa responded, substitute Lorenzo Venturino at full stretch unable to get any power on the finish from Ekuban’s roll across, while Leali made a great reaction save on Taremi from the Pavard pull-back.

Lautaro Martinez also wasted the chance to get a second in stoppages, hesitating on the Matteo Darmian assist to see it charged down.

He nearly scored a stunner when controlling with his chest and flicking it up over himself on the volley to run away from Sabelli, denied by another Leali save at the near post.

Ekuban had the ball in the net at the 95th minute, but only after crashing into his former teammate Josep Martinez, who had it well within his grasp.

Inter 1-0 Genoa

Lautaro Martinez 78 (I)

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