Martínez Double Ensures Inter on Tail of Frontrunners

Inter forward Lautaro Martínez netted a second-half double to earn his team a 2-0 victory at Pisa, ensuring the visitors very much involved in the Serie A title race in spite of a somewhat shaky performance.

Standings Update

Led by manager Cristian Chivu, Inter now are placed third in the table with 27 points, tied with second-placed Roma and just one point adrift of leaders Milan. In contrast, Pisa hold the third bottom position with 10 points.

Match Recap

Inter arrived in Tuscany looking to return to winning ways after enduring a loss to rivals by Milan recently, which was followed by a Champions League loss at Atlético Madrid. Nonetheless, they were forced to fight all the way by promoted Pisa. The home team created plenty of opportunities, but a clinical Inter broke the deadlock in the 69th minute mark when Argentinian Martínez drilled a first-time shot into the roof of the net. The forward then finished from point-blank with seven minutes remaining.

The team’s capacity to score even with difficult circumstances proved decisive in securing three points.

Additional European Matches

Across in Spain, Real Sociedad staged a dramatic comeback from 2-0 down to level at home against Villarreal, only to succumb to a late strike five minutes into stoppage time. The visitors’ goals came from Ayoze Pérez shortly after the 30-minute mark and Alberto Moleiro in the 57th minute, but Carlos Soler quickly reduced the deficit and Ander Barrenetxea equalised three minutes from time. Yet, Moleiro delivered the final say deep into stoppage time.

In the late La Liga fixture, Real Madrid journey to Girona requiring a win to return to the summit above Barcelona, who secured a 3-1 triumph over Alavés on Saturday.