Inter claim a crucial victory after an impressive second half performance. After a tight first half, the game burst into life when Martinez steered in Hakimi’s cross. But Inter were pegged back quickly when Handanovic spilled Faraoni’s cross into the path of Ilic. They weren’t to be denied though, and Skriniar’s powerful header ensured they grabbed an important 2-1 win.
The result means that Inter climb to the top of Serie A – although a Milan win today would move them down to second again. Verona, meanwhile, remain in ninth.
That’s all for now though, goodbye!
Cronaca
Formazioni
Statistiche
90'+4'
FULL TIME: Hellas Verona 1-2 Inter20:28
90'+3'
Lukaku has a goal disallowed now! Hakimi leads another counter-attack and finds himself clean through, before passing it around the goalkeeper and into Lukaku who taps it in, only for the linesman to raise his flag!20:27
90'+2'
Another chance for Lukaku! Hakimi breaks away from Faraoni before sliding it across the face of goal where Lukaku lunges in to poke it just wide!20:24
90'+1'
Lukaku almost seals it! The striker teases Gunter on the edge of the area, before cutting inside and whipping a curling effort just wide of the far post!20:23
90'
Three minutes of stoppage time are added on.20:24
89'
Verona are throwing men forward in search of an equaliser - but it's leaving gaps on the break. Inter's latest counter ends after Lukaku's cross is claimed by Silvestri.20:22
87'
Conte moves to try and secure Inter's advantage by replacing Martinez with the midfielder, Gagliardini.20:21
85'
Dimarco almost equalises! Ruegg wins a free-kick on the edge of the box, allowing Dimarco to step up and curl a brilliant effort over the wall but narrowly over the bar!20:19
83'
Bastoni is shown a yellow card after tripping Lazovic to stop a counter.20:17
83'
Brozovic's resulting corner is headed away as Verona struggle to break out their half.20:16
82'
Chance for Lukaku! The striker carefully engineers space for a shot inside the box, before drilling a low effort into the side netting via a slight deflection!20:16
81'
The away side have really seized control since the break; Inter enjoyed a healthy 57% possession in the first half, but during the second period they've managed 67%.20:12
79'
Magnani is booked for tripping Martinez near the left touchline.20:13
77'
Hakimi hits a bobbling effort from distance that Silvestri gathers easily.20:09
75'
Vidal nods the following corner comfortably over the bar.20:08
74'
Martinez has a chance to wrap the game up as he races into the box, but Tameze follows his run and intervenes to poke it away for a corner.20:07
72'
Inter will be hoping that Skriniar's goal will spare Handanovic's blushes now! They have 20 minutes to hold onto their hard-earned lead. 20:06
70'
Perisic is replaced by Vidal as Inter move to protect their lead. 20:05
69'
It was an inviting cross from Brozovic, but the power that Skriniar managed to generate meant that Silvestri was left with no chance!20:04
69'
SKRINIAR RESTORES INTER'S LEAD! 2-1! The away side work a clever short corner that ends with Brozovic curling in a dangerous cross that's met firmly by Skriniar, who powerfully pushes a header beyond a motionless Silvestri!
Well, that's a terrible moment for Handanovic. Inter had a firm grip on the game, but his mistake has given Verona a point to try and hold onto now!19:59
64'
Dimarco is booked after sliding in to stop Hakimi's progress down the right flank.19:58
63'
ILIC EQUALISES! 1-1! Faraoni rides a challenge from Young before clipping a poor cross straight at Handanovic. However, the goalkeeper manages to spill the ball on the line and Ilic wriggles in to poke it into the net!
Another chance for Martinez! Hakimi races to the byline before cutting it back to Martinez, who hits a scruffy half-volley that Silvestri secures at the second attempt!20:04
61'
Inter are pushing hard for a second to seal the game, but Brozovic's latest delivery into the box is gathered easily by Silvestri.19:54
59'
Lovato - himself, an earlier substitute - is replaced by Gunter in defence. 19:53
58'
Ilic lets fly from distance but he skews his shot well wide.19:51
57'
Martinez has deserved that goal after a lively performance; the striker has already managed three shots to go with one key pass.19:50
55'
Well, this has been an ideal start to the half for Inter. After a tight first 45, they've attacked with more urgency in the second period and it's rewarded them immediately!19:48
53'
Zaccagni is also replaced by Lazovic.19:48
53'
Verona instantly make a double substitution after falling behind. First of all, Colley makes way for Ruegg.19:47
51'
Hakimi could have tried to take on his man there, but instead, he opted to use the space to send in the perfect cross for Martinez to give Inter the lead!19:47
51'
MARTINEZ! 1-0 INTER! Hakimi sizes up the defender near the right-hand side before curling in a clever cross to the front post where Martinez is on hand to steer a volley across Silvestri and in!
Lukaku spins past Magnani before winning a free-kick 30 yards from goal. Inter elect to work it short though, and enjoy a long period of possession in their own half. 19:43
48'
Barella jinks inside from the left, before swerving a shot wide of the far post. 19:42
46'
Verona kick off the second 45.19:39
46'
Salcedo is replaced by Ilic at the start of the second half. 19:39
Three points are more important for Inter today and you'd expect them to play a little more adventurously in the second half. 19:24
The teams head in level after an evenly contested first half. There few chances for either side as both Verona and Inter approached the opening stages cautiously, but Dimarco forced Handanovic into a strong save from close range while Martinez's flick produced some acrobatics from Silvestri. Nevertheless, no one broke the deadlock and you sense that a single goal could decide this one in the second half. 19:23
45'+4'
HALF TIME: Hellas Verona 0-0 Inter19:21
45'+3'
Zaccagni also gets booked after a raking lunge down Barella's shin. 19:21
45'+2'
Lukaku surges past Ceccherini down the right flank, but Magnani covers his teammate with a crisp slide tackle to dispossess the attacker. 19:21
45'+1'
Brozovic is shown a yellow card after pulling Zaccagni's shirt. 19:19
45'+1'
Three minutes of stoppage time are added on. 19:18
44'
Young latches onto a header from Lukaku in the area before powering a vicious shot straight at Faraoni. 19:16
42'
Another player is down for Verona, and this time it's Salcedo. The striker cut his head while battling with De Vrij for possession and there's a delay as his head is bandaged. 19:15
41'
Ceccherini looks like he's going to try and run the injury off.19:13
40'
Ceccherini is down with a shin injury and receiving treatment. Verona will be extremely worried about making another substitution - especially when it's another centre-back who might come off. 19:13
38'
Brozovic's resulting corner is hacked clear at the second attempt by Lovato.19:11
36'
Top save from Silvestri! Perisic charges through the heart of midfield before slipping Lukaku in behind the defence! Lukaku carries it towards the byline and cuts it back to Martinez, who pokes an inventive shot across goal forcing Silvestri into an acrobatic save!19:11
33'
Hakimi attempts to loft a cross into Lukaku but it's headed clear by Ceccherini. Nevertheless, Inter are finally beginning to push the hosts back into their own half. 19:06
31'
Dawidowicz is replaced by Lovato in defence. There didn't appear to be an obvious injury, so this could potentially be a tactical change following the yellow card. 19:04
29'
Dawidowicz is shown a yellow card for dragging Martinez back on the halfway line. 19:04
28'
Lukaku races away down the right flank on the counter before attempting to hit an early cross in front of Martinez but Silvestri anticipates the danger and claims the delivery.19:01
26'
Brilliant save from Handanovic! Zaccagni cuts inside from the left before flicking a deft backheel through to Dimarco who slams a shot across goal from a tight angle, but Handanovic is there to block the effort away!19:00
24'
This has been an extremely tight encounter between two disciplined sides so far: Verona have only produced two shots from inside the box, while Inter have failed to even manage one. 18:57
22'
Dimarco whips a corner in for the hosts but it sails away for a goal kick. 18:54
20'
Verona have been in charge so far, but their control of the game has yet to really translate into goalscoring opportunities. 18:52
18'
Dimarco curls yet another set-piece into the box and it's met at the back post by Magnani whose awkward header drifts well wide. 18:52
16'
Tameze leads a fast break for the hosts, but his threaded pass in the direction of Colley is crucially intercepted by De Vrij on the halfway line. 18:49
14'
Verona have looked potent from these early free-kicks and Inter will need to be wary about committing cheap fouls in their own third. 18:47
12'
Chance for Verona! Dimarco swings in another inviting free-kick and it drops for Dawidowicz who smashes his half-volley straight at Bastoni!18:46
10'
Young goes close! Perisic's corner is cleared out to the edge of the box, where Young is on hand to fire a fizzing effort just wide of the far post!18:43
8'
The hosts have started brightly and you get the sense that Inter will have to be patient today; Inter's last seven Serie A goals were all scored in the second half, three of them coming from Romelu Lukaku.18:40
6'
Salcedo latches onto a neat throughball down the channel by Ceccherini but Skriniar shuffles across to shepherd him out of play. 18:39
4'
Verona are pressing furiously so far, as Colley robs Brozovic with a strong challenge before winning a throw-in near the left touchline. 18:43
2'
Zaccagni tumbles over under pressure from Skriniar, presenting Verona with a promising free-kick. Dimarco hits in a dangerous outswinging cross, but it's headed away at the back post by De Vrij. 18:35
1'
Inter get the first half underway.18:33
The players are emerging from the tunnel and kick off is just seconds away!18:27
Verona are winless in their last 18 matches against Inter in Serie A (D4 L14), their last league victory against the Nerazzurri was back in 1992. The Gialloblu have never suffered a longer such streak against a single opponent in the top-flight.18:23
Inter make one attacking switch after defeating Spezia last match – Gagliardini makes way with Perisic coming into the side in a more offensive role. 18:16
Verona make two changes to the side that drew with Fiorentina last time out: Gunter and Lazovic both drop out with Salcedo and Magnani coming in.18:14
SUBS: Roberto Gagliardini, Aleksandar Kolarov, Daniele Padelli, Matteo Darmian, Arturo Vidal, Stefano Sensi, Andrea Ranocchia, Ionut Radu, Danilo D'Ambrosio.18:09
INTER (3-4-2-1): Samir Handanovic; Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni; Achraf Hakimi, Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Ashley Young; Lauturo Martinez, Ivan Perisic; Romelu Lukaku.18:08
SUBS: Philip Yeboah Ankrah, Alessandro Berardi, Yildirim Mert Cetin, Lorenzo Bertini, Iyenoma Destiny Udogie, Kevin Ruegg, Matteo Lovato, Darko Lazovic, Ivor Pandur, Andrea Danzi, Ivan Ilic, Koray Gunter.18:05
HELLAS VERONA (3-4-2-1): Marco Silvestri; Pawel Dawidowicz, Giangiacomo Magnani, Federico Ceccherini; Marco Faraoni, Adrien Tameze, Miguel Veloso, Federico Dimarco; Eddie Salcedo, Mattia Zaccagni; Ebrima Colley.18:05
Inter, meanwhile, could go top with a win today; they enter this one in second – just one point behind leaders Milan.18:01
Hello and welcome to live commentary of this Serie A fixture between Hellas Verona and Inter. The hosts enter this one in ninth after an inconsistent run – they’ve won two and lost two in their last six games. A statement victory today could help them push on for the rest of the season.18:00
Verona - Inter is a match of 14 day of the season Serie A 2020/2021. The match will be 23 december at 18:30 in the stadium Marcantonio Bentegodi in Verona. Referee of Verona - Inter will be Piero Giacomelli with the help of Stefano Liberti e Mauro Galetto. At VAR there will be Gianpaolo Calvarese.
Currently Verona is 9° in the standings with 20 points (thanks of 5 wins, 5 draws and 4 defeats); while Inter is 2° in the standings with 33 points (thanks of 10 wins, 3 pareggi and 1 sconfitta). Verona scored 18 goals and conceded 14; Inter scored 34 goals and conceded 17.
At home Verona scored 9 points (2 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses). Away Inter scored 14 points (4 wins, 2 draws and 0 losses). Verona in the last three matches of the season challenged Sampdoria, Fiorentina and Inter obtaining 1 point thanks to 0 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses. Inter in the last three matches of the season challenged Cagliari, Napoli and Spezi obtaining 9 points thanks to 3 wins, 0 draws and 0 losses. In the last match Verona was against Inter losing 1-2 while Inter was against Spezia winning 2-1.
Verona and Inter competed 58 times in the league. In the previous matches Verona won 4 times, Inter won 33 times while the number of draw was 21.
These are the statistics of the two teams in the matches played in the season:
Where to see Verona-Inter You can see the live match Verona-Inter here on Virgilio Sport starting 18:30 CET of 23 december. Discover who will broadcast live Verona - Inter between Sky and Dazn.
