Inzaghi´s reliable reserves crucial to Inter´s double quest

Inter kept their Serie A title defence bubbling with a vital away victory at Torino, and their Scudetto and Champions League chances have been boosted by fringe players coming up with the goods repeatedly.

Having successfully come through a Champions League semi-final thriller with Barcelona, Simone Inzaghi made wholesale changes just as he did after the first leg before Sunday’s 2-0 win over Torino.

Inzaghi’s 100th league win with Inter came thanks to goals from Nicola Zalewski and Kristjan Asllani, while Napoli were held 1-1 at home to Genoa, leaving Antonio Conte’s side just a point clear at the top.

Zalewski arrived on loan in February, having found himself out of favour at Roma, and scored an equally impressive and important goal at Torino.

His control of Alessandro Bastoni’s was exquisite, selling his marker a dummy with a backheel flick that gave him room to cut inside and take the ball forward before bending his shot inside the far post.

Bastoni was one of only two players selected by Inzaghi from the side which started the 4-3 extra-time win over Barcelona, and with no Lautaro Martinez or Marcus Thuram, Zalewski picked the perfect time to score his first Inter goal.

Indeed, Inter have now scored with 19 different players in a single top-flight campaign for the first time in their Serie A history, with Zalewski the most recent to that list.

Hakan Calhanoglu is Inter’s reliable penalty taker, scoring from the spot against Barca and missing just one in 25 for the club, but in his absence, Asllani has proved just as dependable.

Let’s take a look back at it from every angle pic.twitter.com/ARSByrWzk4

— Inter (@Inter_en) May 12, 2025

Asllani converted a ninth-minute penalty versus Hellas Verona in a previous league game, and against Torino, the Albanian doubled Inter’s lead from the spot early in the second half.

His prowess from 12 yards has been important in Calhanoglu’s absence, given Inter have won (nine) and scored (eight) the most penalties in Serie A this season.

Mehdi Taremi was the player fouled for the penalty, with the Iran striker making his first league start since February, having come off the bench against Barcelona to provide an assist for another substitute, Davide Frattesi, to net the winner.

Frattesi missed the Torino game injured, and while he has only started four Champions League games, Inzaghi will count on his recovery for the May 31 final versus Paris Saint-Germain, after the midfielder also came on to snatch a winner at Bayern Munich.

Goalkeeper Josep Martinez arrived at the start of the campaign as back-up for Yann Sommer and made his fifth league start against Torino as Inzaghi rested the Swiss number one.

Martinez filled in earlier this season when Sommer suffered a broken thumb, and has conceded three goals in his five undefeated games.

Inter have two league games left, and with doubts over the fitness of Frattesi, Martinez, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Benjamin Pavard for next weekend’s game at home to Lazio, Inzaghi will again rely on lesser-used players to do the job.

PSG’s Luis Enrique has been able to rest his main players since wrapping up the Ligue 1 title in early April and now Inzaghi, still fighting for the Scudetto, must do likewise.