Tag: Romelu Lukaku

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SERIE A: LUKAKU STARS IN INTER WIN OVER LAZIO,ROMA EDGE UDINESE

Romelu Lukaku scored twice to reach 300 career goals as Inter Milan moved above AC Milan to the top of Serie A with an impressive 3-1 home win over Lazio on Sunday. Lukaku’s brace came in the first half as Inter

Milan made the most of their city rivals’ surprising 2-0 loss at Spezia on Saturday. Inter, bidding for a first Scudetto since winning the treble under Jose Mourinho in 2010, are now one point clear of AC Milan, with Roma six points further back in third. The stage is set for a mouthwatering Milan derby at the San Siro next Sunday.

“He (Lukaku) came back firing on all cylinders tonight and we need this Romelu. We need this determination and passion from everyone in the team,” Inter coach Antonio Conte said.

“I am happy for the lads, inevitably this must be a starting point for us and not the finish line. We know the next game is the derby with Milan, going into it above them is obviously much better.

“It’s going to be a fascinating game between two teams who have strong ambitions.”

Conte apologised on Saturday for appearing to show the finger to his former club’s directors at half-time of the controversial Italian Cup match at Juventus on Tuesday.

At the San Siro, Lukaku opened the scoring on 22 minutes from the penalty spot after Wesley Hoedt fouled Lautaro Martinez.

The Belgium forward then moved level with Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the Serie A goalscoring charts just before the break, as he hit a loose ball first time on the half-volley for his 16th league goal of the campaign.

The deficit was halved just after the hour mark as Gonzalo Escalante’s free-kick was deflected to leave Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic flat-footed.

But Inter’s return to the summit was secured in the 64th minute as Lukaku turned the provider for Martinez.

A move which started at the edge of the home box and continued with Lukaku’s powerful run from the halfway line ended with Martinez side-footing in his 11th effort of the season.

Earlier, French midfielder Jordan Veretout also struck twice as Roma beat Udinese 3-0 to climb back to third.

Atalanta moved up to seventh, level on points with fifth-placed Napoli, after Luis Muriel scored in the 90th minute to earn a 1-0 victory at Cagliari.

One week after losing to Juve, Roma took advantage of the champions’ loss to Napoli

Roma continued their strong form at the Stadio Olimpico even without Edin Dzeko, who returned from his brief exile when he came on for the last 21 minutes. They are the only team in Serie A still unbeaten at home this season.

Veretout put Roma ahead after five minutes, racing forward to meet a cross from Gianluca Mancini with a powerful header.

After visiting goalkeeper Juan Musso upended Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the 25th minute, Veretout converted the penalty.

It was Veretout’s fourth succesful penalty and ninth league goal of the season.

With 15 league goals (and 17 in all competitions) since his arrival in Rome from Fiorentina in 2019, the former Aston Villa and Nantes player has overtaken Vincent Candela as Roma’s top-scoring French player.

Veretout said he had been told to get into the opposing penalty area more often by coach Paulo Fonseca.

“I have challenged him on the number of goals he scores,” said Fonseca. “I told him that he had to score more than ten.”

In Cagliari, Atalanta were frustrated for 90 minutes by the relegation-haunted hosts before the game sprung to life in the dying seconds.

Atalanta looked heavy legged four days after beating Napoli in the Italian Cup semi-finals but their bench made the difference. Muriel, who came on in the 68th minute, beat two defenders on the edge of the box before drilling home the winner in the 90th minute.

“It was a very difficult match from the start, I’m happy to have scored. Winning like that means a lot,” said Muriel.

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HAKIMI, LUKAKU ON TARGET AS INTER EDGE SPEZIA TO WIN SIXTH STRAIGHT SERIE A GAMES.

It’s now six straight Serie A wins for Inter as the Nerazzurri continued their rich vein of form on Sunday by beating Spezia 2-1. It was two second-half goals that toppled the opposition, with Conte’s side moving up to 30 points after 13 matches, just one point behind AC Milan who beat Sassuolo.

Following a lacklustre first half from both sides, it was goals from Hakimi and Lukaku that put Spezia to the sword, while Piccoli pulled one back for the visitors in the 94th minute. Sunday’s match was Spezia’s first-ever experience playing Inter at the San Siro, with Italiano’s side setting out in an ambitious 4-3-3 formation. This included Vignali, Ismajli, Mora and Acampora, as the opposition sought to starve the home side of space.

The match itself certainly wasn’t a classic, but Inter got the job done in the end. It wasn’t without its obstacles along the way, particularly as Ricci teamed up with Deiola and Mora to press Brozovic & Co in midfield. Inter opted for a 3-5-2, which duly led to some decent chances early on.

The first fell to Lukaku, who tried his luck in the fourth minute after an assist from Lautaro; however, it only resulted in a corner. Next up was a brilliant burst of pace from Young, who skipped past two men on the left before forcing a save from the Spezia shot-stopper. Despite these early opportunities, it was clear Inter were lacking consistency. Neither of team’s two strikers were able to link up with the midfield, while the crossing from the flanks wasn’t up to its usual standard. The half-time whistle soon went with the visitors enjoying just over half of possession; however, without having threatened Handanovic during the opening 45. Yet, nor had they nearly conceded.

Inter needed a spark to ignite the match, and Conte looked to provide this with the introduction of Sensi (who came on in Gagliardini’s place) at half-time. Six minutes after the restart, the Nerazzurri finally broke the deadlock. Great link-up play between the front two provided the impetus, with Lukaku expertly chesting the ball down to Lautaro. The Argentine then spread play for Hakimi, who, in his usual style, raced down the right before firing past the goalkeeper at the near post. It was his fourth goal of the season.

Having taken the lead, Inter could go about their business in a more assured manner, especially given the lack of precision in Spezia’s play. Handanovic remained a spectator, although the away side did briefly threaten when Nzola headed over the bar. In the 71st minute, Inter doubled their lead, a goal which put the game to bed.

It all came about from the right wing, with Hakimi whipping in a ball that was handled by Nzola. After consulting VAR, Fabbri awarded a clear penalty. Lukaku then stepped up and sent Provedel the wrong way, scoring his eleventh penalty (from eleven) since signing for Inter.

The final 20 minutes saw Spezia make several changes and give everything to get back into it, but the best they could conjure up was a goal ruled out for offside.

Conte, meanwhile, took off Lukaku, Hakimi and Young for some much-needed rest. With the match coming to an end, Inter’s hopes of keeping a clean sheet were dashed as Piccoli beat Darmian to the ball to grab a consolation. It was a reward for the assertive manner in which Italiano’s team had looked to play throughout.

The final whistle was blown immediately afterwards, with the Nerazzurri coming away with a 2-1 victory – their sixth win in a row. For Antonio Conte’s men, 2020 will finish with a trip to Verona to face Hellas at 18:30 CET on Wednesday.

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MON 2-3 INTER: ROMELU LUKAKU BRACE KEEPS INTERMILAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES ALIVE.

Internazionale forward Romelu Lukaku scored twice in the second half to secure a 3-2 win at Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday and keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive with Group B still wide open with one round of games left.

The Belgium international has proved a lifesaver for Inter, having also scored twice, including a last-minute equaliser, in their 2-2 draw with the Germans in Italy on the first matchday.

Lukaku fired home for a 2-1 lead in the 64th minute at Borussia Park and tapped in his second goal nine minutes later to make it 3-1, with Inter now needing a win in their last group match against Shakhtar Donetsk to have any chance of advancing.

“You need to be a great group [of players], otherwise you don’t come here and win against this Borussia side in great form,” said Inter coach Antonio Conte.

“We had a great performance, we fully deserved to win. We just could avoid some risks at the end but we are still alive and this is what counts the most.”

Gladbach are top on eight points, one ahead of Shakhtar and Real Madrid after the Ukrainians earlier beat the visiting Spaniards 2-0. Inter are bottom on five. All four teams will battle to reach the last 16 on the final matchday.

Inter were rewarded for their strong start with Matteo Darmian slotting the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Yann Sommer in the 17th minute.

The Germans found their footing after half an hour and, despite frantic shouts of “calma, calma” from Inter coach Antonio Conte echoing across the empty stadium, the Italians lost their grip on the game.

Alassane Plea headed home the equaliser in first-half stoppage time but as the hosts edged closer to a second goal after the break, Lukaku struck with a powerful shot across the area into the far corner.

He then completed a quick move with an easy tap in.

Monchengladbach were not done yet and Plea cut the deficit in the 76th while eight minutes later the Frenchman had an effort disallowed by VAR for an offside in the area.

“We’d have liked to get points from this game. We didn’t manage that and we’re very disappointed,” said Gladbach coach Marco Rose, who was furious over the offside decision.

Asked what he had told the referee in an agitated manner at the end of the game, Rose replied: “Merry Christmas.”