Martinez Brace Fires Inter Past Pisa as Nerazzurri Climb to Third

Inter returned to winning ways with a calm, controlled and ultimately clinical 2–0 victory over Pisa at the Arena Garibaldi, thanks to a brilliant second-half brace from Lautaro Martinez. After a slow, cagey opening 45 minutes, the match exploded into life after the break — and Inter’s captain stepped up when it mattered most.

Pisa started the game with belief, applying pressure early and unsettling Inter’s back line. Their clearest chance of the half came when Toure cushioned a long free-kick into the path of Gabriele Piccinini, whose effort bent narrowly wide of Sommer’s far post. Inter’s best moment was created by a Calhanoglu set piece, with Martinez flicking the delivery inches wide.

With neither side showing a cutting edge, the first half ended goalless, Inter edging the xG 0.40 to Pisa’s 0.28.

The tempo shifted instantly after the restart. Pisa nearly stunned the visitors when M’Bala Nzola forced a turnover near halfway, sprinted clear and found himself one-on-one with Sommer. But with the whole stadium expecting the net to bulge, Nzola dragged his effort wide — a massive let-off for Inter, and a miss that would prove costly.

Inter responded by tightening their grip on midfield, and Simone Inzaghi’s decision to introduce Francesco Pio Esposito paid off almost immediately. In the 69th minute, Inter won back possession from a Pisa throw, and Esposito slipped Martinez into space inside the box. The Argentine did the rest, drilling a crisp finish beyond Scuffet to open the scoring and notch his fifth league goal of the campaign.

From then on, Inter controlled the match with authority. Pisa pushed for a response, but Bastoni and Acerbi absorbed the pressure well, while Dimarco and Barella drove the Nerazzurri forward in transition.

The game was sealed in the 83rd minute with a move of real quality. Barella, full of energy and invention all afternoon, fizzed a low cross across the face of goal. It flew past a scrambling Pisa defence and found Martinez lurking at the back post. One touch, one finish 2–0, game over, and a brace for Inter’s talisman.

The victory pushes Inter up to third place in the Serie A standings, just one point behind leaders AC Milan as the title race heats up. For Pisa, defeat sends them slipping into the relegation zone after collecting just 10 points from 13 matches. Their six-match unbeaten run ends, and the brutal reality of top-flight football tightens around them.

Inter, meanwhile, walk away with confidence restored and Martinez once again proving why he remains one of the deadliest forwards in Italy.