Inter 2-1 Kairat Almaty: Martinez and Augusto extend hosts’ winning European start
Inter Milan made it four Champions League wins out of four with a clinical performance against Kairat Almaty on Wednesday.
Inter maintained their perfect start to their Champions League campaign with a clinical 2-1 victory over Kairat Almaty on Wednesday.
The hosts started on the front foot at San Siro and nearly went ahead 10 minutes in when Federico Dimarco stung Temirlan Anarbekov’s palms before Lautaro Martinez volleyed over off the rebound.
Inter continued to knock on the door as Martinez fizzed a shot inches over the bar before they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Yann Bisseck, though the decision was overturned following a VAR review.
Martinez eventually broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time, turning in scrappily at the near post after Inter saw a series of close-range efforts blocked.
Kairat, though, kept pushing and drew level 10 minutes after the restart as Ofri Arad nodded home after a bout of pinball inside the box, marking the first goal Inter have conceded in Europe this season.
Despite an admirable showing, the Kazakh side could not hold onto the result for long as Carlos Augusto restored the hosts’ lead with a brilliant first-time strike from range in the 67th minute.
Kairat never had a way back from there as Inter comfortably closed out the win, despite Marcus Thuram squandering a golden chance late on.
The result keeps Inter level on 12 points with Bayern Munich and Arsenal, sitting third on goal difference, while Kairat remain winless in 34th place.
Data Debrief: Martinez matches Eto’o and Adriano
Prior to Wednesday’s affair, Inter had won nine of their last 10 Champions League group-stage games without conceding, and were the only team to keep 10 clean sheets in group/league phase games since the start of last season.
That run came to end at the hands of Kairat, though the hosts maintained their perfect European start, having won all four of their matches so far.
Indeed, they were deserved winners, having generated an expected goals (xG) value of 1.99, compared to Kairat’s paltry 0.15 xG.
Martinez’s opener also placed him in elite company. He is now just the third Inter player to score in each of his first three Champions League appearances in a single season, after Samuel Eto’o (2010/11) and Adriano (2004/05).
