Internazionale vs. Genoa – Soccer Match Report – August 21, 2021

Striker debutant Edin Dzeko hit the target as Internazionale started their Serie A title defense with a 4-0 win over Genoa in their opening game of the season in front of the fans on Saturday at the San Siro.

Hakan Calhanoglu, who crossed the rift at city rivals AC Milan in the summer to join Inter, was the focus from the start, preparing Milan Skriniar for his side’s opening game in the sixth minute before scoring a second goal eight minutes later .

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The visitors had a great chance of getting back into the fight just before the break, but Yayah Kallon pulled out of a good position.

That miss proved costly as Inter, who had ruled out two goals for offside, including another nice finish from Calhanoglu, added a third goal in the 74th minute through substitute Arturo Vidal to secure the three points.

To complete the perfect afternoon for Inter, veteran striker Dzeko, who joined from AS Roma this summer, shot home a late fourth place in his 200th Serie A game.

Inter won their first Scudetto in eleven years last season, but after selling off-season star striker Romelu Lukaku and full-back Achraf Hakimi and Christian Eriksen’s future was uncertain after suffering cardiac arrest on the pitch during Euro 2020 , doubts arose in the Italian media about whether the champion would be in good shape to defend his title.

But the man who entered Eriksen’s midfield, Calhanoglu, showed from the start that there is life in the new Inter-Look.

The Turkish international prepared Skriniar to kick off his new team after a corner against a flat tire in Genoa.

Calhanoglu then shot a brilliant shot into the net and became the first player to score both a goal and an assist on his Serie A debut for Inter since Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2006.

Aside from Kallon’s miss, Genoa was never really in the game and it was about how many more Inter would score in the second half.

After being thwarted several times by Genoa’s goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu, Vidal had to leave the bench to take third before the Bosnian headed Dzeko home to finish as an Inter player.