A stunning Mauro Icardi volley sparked a late Inter Milan comeback as the Italian side beat Tottenham 2-1 on their return to the Champions League after a six-year absence on Tuesday.
Christian Eriksen’s deflected strike gave Spurs a 53rd-minute lead at San Siro, and the visitors looked comfortable for much of the second half.
But Argentina striker Icardi hammered home a magnificent volley in the 86th minute to draw Inter level, and Matias Vecino took advantage of some slack Tottenham defending at a corner to nod in a dramatic injury-time clincher.
The win leaves Inter second in the early Group B table, behind Barcelona on goal difference after the Catalan giants thrashed PSV Eindhoven 4-0 thanks to a Lionel Messi hat-trick.
Here, we analyse the performance of rumoured Manchester United and Real Madrid target Icardi.
STATISTICS
30-SECOND REPORT
Six touches for Icardi in the first-half, just one in the Tottenham box.
To his credit, the Argentine dragged Spurs centre-backs Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez out of position, But the massive quality vacuum in midfield saw his cutting runs go unnoticed.
The 25-year-old was always lurking and looked dangerous, constantly gesturing to the sidelines for more support from the middle men.
But who needs to lead the touches statistics when only one is required to make a difference.
There was a degree of irony when the coveted forward leathered a stinging equaliser from the edge of the box.
Scouting reports for Europe’s top clubs will read a lethal poacher, yet he dropped outside of the box when Inter pressed forward with time slipping to nestle an unstoppable strike into the bottom corner from full-back Kwadwo Asamoah’s cross from the left.
The San Siro eruption from that goal ultimately inspired victory, as powered up, Inter grabbed their winner just six minutes later.
A Champions League debut for the Inter captain, not a bad way to announce yourself on Europe’s biggest stage.
GOT RIGHT
Movement – It’s a prerequisite for the modern forward but it wasn’t just that his movement was impressive, it’s that he persisted in spite of Inter’s dire ability to get the ball into his feet.
Concentration – Entwined with the above feature of his game, but Icardi is the type to be quiet for 80 minutes and then score crucial goals like his equaliser. It required supreme concentration to bury his world-class strike, considering he barely touched the ball prior to it.
⚽️ volley #Icardi pic.twitter.com/uM7vRZV7Pc
— INTER & CALCIO (@Calcio_Buzz) September 18, 2018
GOT WRONG
Involvement – An obvious thing to say but it’s not really a facet of his game to be so involved with play. However, if he’s to develop into one of the world’s most fearsome forwards and move to rumoured suitors like Manchester United and Real Madrid, then he must add more to his game.
VERDICT
Quiet and then a screamer. According to Squawka, Icardi scored 29 goals across all competitions last season and none were outside the box.
On the basis of his equaliser, perhaps he should drop deeper more often.
His overall performance owed more to the inability of the men behind him. But when you score goals like that, it doesn’t really matter what came before.
RATING: 7/10
All statistics are compiled using whoscored.com
