In a thrilling encounter at the San Siro, Italy midfielder Frattesi emerged as the hero for Inter, securing a crucial victory with a decisive strike in the third minute of stoppage time.
Simone Inzaghi’s side faced a late scare when Verona’s Thomas Henry, who had earlier netted the equalizer, missed a penalty in the 10th minute of added time.
Frattesi’s match-winning goal came on the rebound after Lorenzo Montipo spilled Nicolo Barella’s shot, concluding a chaotic sequence that included Alessandro Bastoni’s impressive volley off the bar.
THE DRAMA 🤯🤯🤯
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— Inter (@Inter_en) January 6, 2024
The wild celebrations ensued as Inter is set to lead the Serie A table at the midway point of the season, with Juventus, their closest challengers, facing Salernitana on Sunday.
Reflecting on the dramatic victory, Frattesi commented, “It was a good shot, and I followed the ball, I threw myself onto it, and I was lucky it came to me. The most important wins are the ugly ones, these are the ones that help you challenge right to the end.”
Initially appearing straightforward for Inter after Lautaro Martinez’s early goal in the 13th minute, the match took a turn when Verona’s Henry leveled the score in the 74th minute from Ondrej Duda’s cross. Despite Verona’s discontent over a potential foul in the buildup to Frattesi’s goal, Inter secured the win.
Verona’s sporting director, Sean Sogliano, expressed frustration, claiming his team was disrespected by VAR officials. He criticized the decision not to rule out Inter’s winner, stating, “Errors like that just shouldn’t happen.” Verona had a chance to salvage a remarkable point when VAR awarded them a penalty after Matteo Darmian’s foul, but Henry’s miss leaves them facing a tough battle to avoid relegation.
In other Serie A action, Fiorentina aims to solidify their top-four standing as they travel to Sassuolo later in the day.
