Strikers Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez were unstoppable on Sunday as they were involved in all four goals in Inter Milan’s thrashing of Fiorentina 4-0 in Serie A.
The striking partners have propelled Inter to a flawless start with three consecutive wins, with no goals conceded.
They were dominant against a weakened Fiorentina side, who were still recuperating from their Thursday Europa Conference League play-off win against Austrian side Rapid Vienna.
“What we are doing very well at the moment is this determination not to concede goals, so all the players are sacrificing themselves to help out, including the strikers.
“We know this is only the beginning, but these are some very encouraging signs.
“Federico Dimarco delivered an excellent cross into the box and Thuram seized the opportunity to score his debut goal for the club in the 23rd minute with a powerful diving header,” manager Simone Inzaghi told DAZN.
Shortly after, Thuram had the chance to score his second of the match, but his close-range shot sailed over the crossbar.
Fiorentina keeper Oliver Christensen then skilfully palmed away Hakan Calhanoglu’s free-kick from long range shortly before the break.
In the second half, Inter continued to pile on the pressure with Denzel Dumfries’ early attempt hitting the post.
Martinez doubled Inter’s advantage after 53 minutes when he was played through by Thuram at the edge of the box, with the unmarked captain easily putting it into the net.
Inzaghi praised the Argentine for his performance. “Along with the goals, it is great to see how hard he (Martinez) works for the team. He is a leader and continually improving.”
Calhanoglu made it 3-0 by converting a penalty five minutes later, following Christensen’s foul on Thuram.
Martinez netted his second goal of the match and his fifth of the season with a one-touch finish inside the box from a well-placed cross in the 73rd minute.
Apart from Inter, AC Milan are the only other team to have won all three of their opening Serie A matches this season and both sides will be determined to keep that record intact when they meet on Sept. 16 after the international break.
“We know what the derby means for everyone in the city, although clearly a lot of players will be away over the next 10 days.
“We won’t have much time to prepare, but neither will Milan,” Inzaghi said.
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