Inter v Genoa: A Semi-Lethal Inter?

By: Martha | October 31st, 2007

Happy Argie. That was a way, way easier win than I expected it to be, particularly considering that, conservatively, Inter should have had six rather than just the four: Hernan Crespo went past the keeper and ripped his shot high and wide, then put it right into the man’s hands when he was about three yards away. Still, though, for the first time in a long while, there was some truly lovely play from Inter, particularly between Cesar and Maxwell (AKA Those Other Brazilians) early, and through the middle in the second half, usually involving Javier Zanetti, and often Luis Figo and Maicon, who play awfully well together.

Ivan Cordoba scored off an un-cleared corner in the seventh minute, and there really wasn’t any tension in the match from that point on. The halftime score was only 1-0, but Inter were well in control, and made their superiority show just after the second half started, when Esteban Cambiasso (who had his first below-par game in at least a month) pounced on a goalkeeping error. Abdoullay Konko gave Genoa some hope with about fifteen minutes later, but David Suazo got his first Inter goal just a few seconds later, and Julio Cruz secured the win with a late penalty.

Genoa didn’t get run off the pitch by any means, but Inter were obviously the better team, had the majority of the possession, and punished Genoa for their mistakes. It was a comprehensive victory without Zlatan (who is one caution away from a suspension, so he sat to be sure he’ll be available against Juve on the weekend), which will do wonders for Inter’s confidence, and also allowed them to stay at the top of the table despite everyone behind them winning tonight.

Also: It’s easy to compare Julio Cesar Leon to David Suazo because he’s Honduran and quick, and playing with a smaller club where he probably won’t get the glory he deserves, but the comparison goes beyond that, I think. Leon has been easily Genoa’s most effective player in the matches I’ve seen, and he’s not only got Suazo’s speed and strength, but also might be even more skilled than his countryman — the runs he made at Fiorentina were almost comical in how easily he got through a very good defense. He plays deeper and spends a lot of time running at people so their roles with their current clubs are a bit different, but it’s impossible to watch him play and not think of Suazo at Cagliari.