Inter Milan emerged victorious from their last Serie A fixture of the season against Sampdoria but fell short of a domestic treble as AC Milan ran away with the league title.
Things weren’t in Inter Milan’s hands when they welcomed Sampdoria for their final Serie A encounter of the 2021/22 season. AC Milan were enjoying a two-point lead and were to face Sassuolo in their last encounter. Only a Rossoneri defeat would have handed Inter the advantage.
But Milan maintained their lead, registering a 3-0 win over Sassuolo to counter Inter’s 3-0 victory against Sampdoria. Simone Inzaghi’s men thus finished the season with Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana trophies.
As far as the Sampdoria encounter is concerned, after a goalless first half, Ivan Perisic opened the scoring in the 49th minute before Joaquin Correa’s two-minute brace gave the Nerazzurri a three-goal cushion.
Inter continued knocking on the door but couldn’t add another goal to their tally, running out 3-0 winners, ending the season with 84 points. Here’s how each Inter Milan player fared in the encounter at San Siro.
? | FINAL WHISTLE
We round off the campaign with a win at San Siro!!
Powered by @SociosItalia#InterSampdoria 3️⃣ – 0️⃣#FORZAINTER ⚫️? pic.twitter.com/GUNPn6n0CX
— Inter (@Inter_en) May 22, 2022
Samir Handanovic: 7/10
Handanovic was forced into three saves by the visitors and did well to keep the clean sheet. He looked at ease on the ball, completing 93% of his passes.
Milan Skriniar: 7/10
Skriniar held his own on the right of a three-man defence. He looked assured on the ball and was quite calm with his passing, completing six of eight long balls attempted with an overall 95% pass accuracy. He made two clearances and a tackle and won two ground duels.
Stefan de Vrij: 7/10
Other than being solid defensively, de Vrij sprayed the ball well, helping the side play out from the back. He finished with a 95% pass accuracy, and all three of his attempted long balls found a teammate. He made an interception and a tackle and won one ground duel. The centre-back missed a golden opportunity to increase Inter’s lead in the second half as he could only poke his effort towards the goal with Bereszynski making a goal-line stop.
Alessandro Bastoni: 7/10
Bastoni was much more involved going forward than his two central defensive partners. As Perisic ventured towards the Sampdoria box, Bastoni filled the left flank for him, often finding himself in offensive positions. He won all three of his ground duels, played a key pass and attracted two fouls.
Denzel Dumfries: 6/10
Dumfries ran the length of the pitch and contributed both in the defence and attack. He made two interceptions and as many tackles, and also attempted a shot.
Nicolo Barella: 7/10
In his 59-minute stay on the pitch, Barella was heavily involved in the game. He played three key passes, took three shots while missing a big chance, won five ground duels and made two tackles as well. He assisted Ivan Perisic’s opener for Inter, picking him out with a selfless pass in the Sampdoria box.
Marcelo Brozovic: 9/10
Congratulations to the best @SerieA midfielder in 2021/2022… ?
?? @brozocrypto ??#Croatia international Marcelo Brozović wins the official award due to his brilliant performances in @Inter_en shirt! ?#Family #Vatreni❤️? pic.twitter.com/n6k5qAmQ8p
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) May 21, 2022
Brozovic dominated the midfield and was probably the busiest player on the pitch. He was full of running, popping up all over the field. He completed a massive 123 of 131 attempted passes and 10 of 12 attempted long balls. Brozovic also won four ground duels, made an interception and two tackles.
Hakan Calhanoglu: 8/10
A solid performance from Calhanoglu, who roamed freely around the pitch, finding himself in pockets of space to fire in crosses from the edge of the box. He assisted Inter’s second goal, scored by Correa, playing a one-two with Perisic before sending a sweet pass for the striker to hit first time. He played as many as six key passes in the game.
Ivan Perisic: 9/10
In what could have been his last game for Inter, Perisic once again demonstrated why the Nerazzurri will struggle to replace him. He opened the scoring and was a constant threat down the left flank. He completed all four of his attempted long balls and sent in four crosses as well. The Croatian himself blocked a shot, and made an interception and a tackle as well.
?? Inter may not get there in the end, but credit to Ivan Perisic for the way he's played this season.
10 goals, 9 assists, and just 3 missed games in total ? pic.twitter.com/fGWuhGtTUj
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) May 22, 2022
Joaquin Correa: 9/10
A solid outing to end a disappointing season for Correa. The Argentine scored twice within two minutes to give Inter a three-goal lead. His first was a first-time hit from Calhanoglu’s well-weighted pass before a run into the Sampdoria box ended with his second.
Lautaro Martinez: 6/10
Lautaro Martinez was quite wasteful in front of the goal, failing to score from four shots on target. He missed two big chances and was the second-best forward for his side on the night.
Substitutes
Arturo Vidal: 7/10
Vidal came on in the 59th minute for Barella and looked solid in the middle of the park. He completed 93% of his passes, which include three long balls. He also won two ground duels and made a tackle.
Robin Gosens: 7/10
Gosens came on for Perisic in the 59th minute. He made a clearance and two interceptions but there wasn’t much he offered going forward, except for a couple of crosses.
Federico Dimarco: 6/10
Dimarco came on for Bastoni in the 60th minute. The defender did well to see off the rest of the game and ensure Inter keep a clean sheet.
Felipe Caicedo: N/A
Caicedo came on in the 73rd minute for Correa but made just seven touches of the ball.
Andrea Ranocchia: 6/10
Ranocchia came on for de Vrij in the 73rd minute. He blocked a shot, made one clearance and a tackle. He also completed all nine of his passes.
