Pre-match

Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte opted for a 3-4-1-2 for Chrisitan Eriksen’s sake. A ramshackle backline featuring none of last year’s starters and a lack of new signing Achraf Hakimi were the real talking points. Fiorentina manager Giuseppe Iachini, meanwhile, handed Sofyan Amrabat his Viola debut and continued with Federico Ceccherini in defense while Germán Pezzella remains hurt. Giacomo Bonaventura got the nod over Alfred Duncan in midfield.

First half

Things got off about as perfectly as they could’ve. Cristiano Biraghi swung in a nice cross that Danilo D’Ambrosio and Aleksandr Kolarov completely missed. A surprised Christian Kouamé touched it to Jack with his, uh, crotch, and Jack neatly squared it back for Christian to tap into the empty net. It was a Three Stooges as it sounds.

Just before the break, Franck Ribery cheaply conceded possession in the Nerazzurri box, sending Inter galloping the other way. Romelu Lukaku bodied Martín Cáceres, Nicolò Barella played in Lautaro Martínez, and the Argentine blazed his finish past Bartłomiej Drągowski.

Second half

Sofyan Amrabat and Nikola Milenković got tangled up and let Martínez steal in. He fired in a cross that took a slight touch off Amrabat before Ceccherini turned it into his own net. It was a deflected pass but you have to think he could’ve done a bit better.

Gaetano Castrovilli took over from there, threading a lovely pass through for Ribery down the left. The Frenchman jinked his way into the area, buying time, and then laid it back inside to an onrushing Tanino, who coolly rolled it past Samir Handanović for his second goal in as many games.

And Ribery came through again moments later, picking up the ball on the break and threading a simply gorgeous pass through to Federico Chiesa. The winger’s finish was a lovely little dink over Handanović, but you won’t see a better pass this year.

Romelu Lukaku finally shook off the spirit of el Tanque Silva which had possessed him for much of the second half and stabbed home a simple cross from Achraf Hakimi. You can’t say it wasn’t coming.

The Nerazzurri landed the knockout blow moments later. Alexis Sánchez’ cross took a deflection off Castrovilli and looped to the back post, where Danilo D’Ambrosio nodded home. It was a gut punch, but Dušan Vlahvović has to shoulder the blame after letting the smaller man completely out-jump him.

Full time

Goals: Martínez 45’+2 (ass. Barella), Ceccherini OG 52’, Lukaku 87’ (ass. Hakimi), D’Ambrosio 89’ (ass. Sánchez); Kouamé 3’ (ass. Bonaventura), Castrovilli 57’ (ass. Ribery), Chiesa 63’ (ass. Ribery)

Cards: Barella 7’; Ceccherini 32’

Movement in the standings

Fiorentina drop down to 10th place with 3 points, not that it really means anything this early.