Martinez Strike Sends Inter Six Points Clear in Udine
- Inter tightened their grip on the Serie A title race after edging Udinese 1-0 away at the Bluenergy Stadium, with Lautaro Martinez’s first-half strike proving decisive in a composed and disciplined display.
Inter continued their relentless march at the top of Serie A with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Udinese on Saturday evening, extending their lead at the summit to six points.
The visitors dominated the opening exchanges and were rewarded in the 20th minute through their talisman. Lautaro Martinez showed his class inside the box, swivelling twice to create space before calmly poking the ball beyond Maduka Okoye to hand Inter a deserved lead.
Inter remained on the front foot for the remainder of the first half, with Federico Dimarco and Henrikh Mkhitaryan both going close as Udinese struggled to cope with the pace and movement of the league leaders.
After the break, the home side showed more intent and worked harder in midfield, but clear chances were hard to come by against a resolute Inter defence. Cristian Chivu’s side dropped slightly deeper, prioritising structure and control as they looked to protect their narrow advantage.
Udinese pushed numbers forward late on but failed to register a meaningful threat, managing just one shot on target across the entire contest. Inter, meanwhile, looked dangerous on the counter and nearly doubled their lead, only to be denied by a combination of last-ditch defending and the assistant referee’s flag.
At full time, Inter saw out the result with maturity, finishing the match with a superior expected goals tally and underlining their authority as genuine title favourites.
The victory lifts Inter six points clear at the top of the table ahead of AC Milan’s next fixture, further strengthening their Scudetto ambitions. Udinese remain mid-table and will look to regroup ahead of their upcoming trip to Verona.
Inter now turn their attention to the Champions League, where a high-profile home clash against Arsenal awaits, while Udinese prepare for another demanding league outing.
