… - Tonight's result sees Inter stretch their winning run to seven games, at the expense of a Sampdoria side which are currently experiencing relegation form after an initially promising start to their Serie A campaign.
… - Inter go second, with the help of Milito, Palacio and Guarin, in spite of the best efforts of a spirited Sampdoria side. Costa can have no qualms with his dismissal, which turned out to be the turning point in a game which Inter had otherwise struggling to get into.
… - The referee calls time on what eventually turned out to be an eventful match, though you wouldn't have guessed from the dull first half.
90′ + 4 - Assist - Maxi López (Sampdoria)
90′ + 4 - Goal - Eder (Sampdoria) GOAL! Eder grabs a consolation goal for the away side, after some very impressive and intricate build up play!
90′ + 3 - Guarin has an ambitious long range effort, and sees the ball rocket off his boot and fly into the crowd. That's a very poor effort, but I doubt that he minds.
90′ + 1 - Milito and Palacio combine well inside the Samp area, but the door is shut in their face. The ball finds it's way to an Inter player, who whips in a dangerous cross that Romero struggles to catch.
90′ - Inter are keeping the ball, playing it around their back four, and the away side are really too keen on pressuring the ball - and for good reason. Four minutes of stoppage time are still to go.
88′ - Nagatomo goes down in the penalty box, under the challenge of De Silvestri, but the referee waves away the full backs claims for a spot kick.
87′ - Inter are retaining possession well, getting the ball wide, and are essentially playing with their opposition. Everyone knows that this game is over, I think.
85′ - The Sampdoria players just want the final whistle to sound, they've been completely outplayed since Costa's dismissal and despite a resilient first half performance, Ferrara's men will be leaving the San Siro with nothing.
84′ - Substitution Andrea Ranocchia Matías Silvestre (FC Internazionale)
83′ - Sampdoria coach Ferrara isn't happy whatsoever, after seeing his side's capitulation and is sent off after protesting a little too much to the referee!
81′ - Assist - Antonio Cassano (FC Internazionale)
81′ - Goal - Fredy Guarín (FC Internazionale) GOAL for INTER! A barnstorming finish from Guarin! Nagatomo found himself at the byline, cut the ball back to Cassano, who found Guarin in space on the edge of the box - he lashed it home and celebrates wildly!
80′ - Close for Cassano! The little maestro delicately lifts a close range free kick over the wall, but agonisingly sees his effort clip the roof of the net on it's way over the bar. Unlucky!
79′ - Yellow Card - Gianni Munari (Sampdoria)
79′ - Renan, a 59 minute substitute, is substituted! He does not look happy and marches directly down the tunnel after leaving the field.
78′ - Substitution Renan Maxi López (Sampdoria)
77′ - Kris Voakes: Perhaps the biggest cheer at San Siro tonight came when the Bologna equaliser was flashed on the screen. The Interisti are now in full voice. They're warming up the tonsils for that big game on Saturday. Now they just need the current scores to hold out.
76′ - Cambiasso has a strange, acrobatic effort at goal after a Palacio cross, not quite sure what he was going for there.. but it goes wide and very high. He won't want to see that again, I imagine.
75′ - Ferrara does not look pleased on the sidelines, and rightfully so. Since the red card, his Sampdoria side haven't been in the game whatsoever.
73′ - Eder sees a long range free kick deflect off an Inter defender and go out for a corner - which is cleared well by the home side.
70′ - Ooooh, Palacio should have put the game to bed there! After a quick free kick, the Argentine found himself in a great crossing position, but instead chose to shoot instead of finding Milito, and fired wide!
69′ - Assist - Antonio Cassano (FC Internazionale)
69′ - Goal - Rodrigo Palacio (FC Internazionale) GOAL! Inter! Palacio puts the home side ahead for the first time in the match, after a quick break. A composed finish too!
67′ - Samp are already trying to kill time where possible, taking an age to even take throw-ins. They'd be delighted to leave here with a point right now!
67′ - Kris Voakes: Sampdoria have pretty much switched to a 4-3-1-1 since the red card, with De Silvestri slotting in at right back and Estigarribia dropping to cover for Costa, What a range of emotions Costa has felt at the San Siro this season... He scored the winner here on the opening day against Milan, now he's seen red to put his team's backs up against the wall.
65′ - Palacio again! This time a long ball through the middle send him through, but the balls skips just beyond him and through to Romero!
64′ - Palacio heads wide from a decent cross from the riht. The ex-Genoa man will be kicking himself for not at least hitting the target.
63′ - Substitution Alvaro Pereira Yuto Nagatomo (FC Internazionale)
59′ - Substitution Andrea Poli Renan (Sampdoria)
55′ - Inter are in the ascendency now, making their extra man count, as Samp are forced to defend against wave upon wave of attacks.
53′ - Substitution Gaetano Berardi Lorenzo De Silvestri (Sampdoria)
52′ - Penalty Goal - Diego Alberto Milito (FC Internazionale) GOAL, INTER! Milito lashes home the spot kick, it strikes the woodwork on it's way past a helpless Romero!
51′ - Red Card - Andrea Costa (Sampdoria) PENALTY TO INTER! And a RED card too! Milito is bundled to the ground after Costa got the wrong side of the Argentine!
49′ - Both sides have started the second half poorly, wasting possession and squandering opportunities to break. Hopefully the game springs into life soon, otherwise I could see a large amount of the San Siro falling asleep!
47′ - Palacio is set up by Cambiasso on the edge of the Samp area, but strikes the ball horribly as it awkwardly bounces up - needless to say it goes well wide.
46′ - Substitution Gaby Mudingayi Esteban Matias Cambiasso (FC Internazionale)
… - Sampdoria have every right to be pleased with their first half performance, they've looked composed on the ball and have taken their chance when it fell to them. Although, the individual quality of Cassano and Milito can definitely worry the away side in the second half - Inter are by no means out of this game.
… - Inter's Mudingayi may have to watch his step in the second half, as the Belgian midfielder has already picked up a yellow card for a poor challenge and tested the referee's patience with another couple of niggles before the half time whistle.
… - The referee calls an end to a half which has been ultimately frustrating for Strama's men, as another Ranocchia mistake has proven costly at a wet San Siro.
44′ - Oooooooh! How didn't that find it's way into the back of the net! Palacio puts in a dangerous cross, which rolls across the face of goal! It's practically begging to be tapped in, but it goes out of play..
42′ - Palacio whips in what could be argued to be a cross or a shot, it looks to be comfortable for Romero, but the Samp shot stopper parries the ball well away from danger instead.
41′ - The free kick is taken intelligently, going short to Berardi on the right wing. The full back fires a cross into the six yard box, but Inter manage to clear - that could've been much worse, Inter switched off.
39′ - Soriano wins a free kick, stumbling over under the challenge of Mudingayi, it's in a quite dangerous position too.
36′ - Kris Voakes: Inter haven't really looked overly dominant since going behind, and seem content to keep forcing chances at the same kind of intervals they were before the goal. Seven straight wins have clearly given them the belief that there's no use rushing. They're backing their ability to get back into this one.
34′ - Ooooh! Guarin goes close! The Colombian is provided with the opportunity to lash home a rebound, after confusion in the Samp area, but his screws his effort just wide!
33′ - The Inter crowd are still having a fair dig at the officials after that booking for Mudingayi. Maybe the team will react now too.
32′ - Yellow Card - Gaby Mudingayi (FC Internazionale)
31′ - Gaby Mudingayi is shown a yellow card after a full-blooded challenge between he and Gastaldello results in the Samp defender going down clutching his shin. The Belgian did seem to go in studs first, to be fair.
30′ - Sampdoria are enjoying a good spell of possession, the home side can't seem to get the ball off them! Inter will remain dangerous on the break though, Milito and Palacio have started the game brightly.
28′ - Pereira goes down injured, after having his heels clipped by Soriano, the referee warns the Sampdoria winger, but chooses not to display a yellow card, and rightly so.
26′ - A searching Pereira cross from the left finds Cassano unmarked at the back post. He manages to bring the ball down, but not perfectly, which presented him with a chance - but from a narrow angle. A defender gets his body in the way, and the strike is cleared.
25′ - From a tight angle, Cassano manages to lift a cross towards the back post, but Costa manages to get his head to the ball - and draws a foul for his trouble, allowing his side to push out.
23′ - Kris Voakes, Italian Football Writer, comments on the action at San Siro: Well that's what you get with Inter! They looked the most likely to break the deadlock in the first 19 minutse, but just a single lapse at the back - and let's face it, with Andrea Ranocchia they're not rare - and suddenly Samp are ahead. As a contest, it was a goal the game probably needed. Now it's a spicy one, and the travelling Doriani are enjoying themselves!
21′ - Inter cause problems for the away side from kick off, the dribbling ability of Milito, Cassano and Palacio looks to be providing plenty of problems for the Sampdoria back four.
20′ - Goal - Gianni Munari (Sampdoria) GOAL! Munari scrambles the ball home after a mix up between two Inter defenders as they fail to clear a free kick! Sampdoria are ahead!
18′ - Another chance falls to Inter, as Pereira whips in a free-kick to find Samuel, who heads over from close range.. they're getting closer!
17′ - Milito is causing all sorts of problems for the Sampdoria defence, weaving in between his markers, he looks a real handful tonight!
15′ - Oh! Milito does brilliantly in possession, beating two defenders before unleashing a drive at Romero's goal, who smothers the shot easily.
13′ - Cassano almost manages to get in behind Rossini, as the defender miscontrols the ball slightly, but he recovers just in time to avert the danger.
11′ - Ooooh! First big chance goes to Inter! Palacio breaks from his own half with the ball, exchanges a one two with Milito, but then balloons his long-range effort well over the bar!
10′ - Both sides trade possession, in what has so far been a midfield battle - neither team have settled yet. It must be said that the away side look composed on the ball, though.
8′ - Milito sees a shot blocked by a wall of Sampdoria bodies, as the home side look to try and take an early lead.
6′ - A good defensive header from Pereira almost falls to Estigarribia, but the winger doesn't get the touch he would have wanted, and Inter manage to scramble it away.
5′ - Good build up play from Inter, involving Guarin throughout, as the home side worked their way to the edge of the opposition area - but the Colombian couldn't find the final ball.
4′ - The away side have seen the best of the opening exchanges, with wide man Soriano being particularly involved down the right.
1′ - Tonight's referee, Daniele Doveri, puts the whistle to his lips, and we are underway!
… - We are moments from kick off in Milan, as the players participate in the fair play handshake and take up their positions, in poor weather conditions, it must be said.
… - Sampdoria starting line-up: Romero; Berardi, Gastaldello, Rossini, Costa; Munari, Tissone, Poli; Estigarribia, Soriano, Eder.
… - Inter starting line-up: Handanovic; Zanetti, Ranocchia, Samuel, Pereira; Mudingayi, Gargano, Guarin; Palacio, Cassano, Milito.
… - (continued): This will be the first really big test of how the new San Siro pitch plays in adverse weather, so that's another thing to look out for. Form wise, there should only be one winner. Inter have seven straight wins, and Sampdoria four successive losses, but since when did form mean anything under the rain?!
… - Kris Voakes, Italian Football Writer, comments on on the pre-match conditions at the San Siro: It is absolutely bucketing it down in Milan tonight, with the bad weather really setting in after a testing weekend. All of which means that tonight's game may not be all about finesse and grace, but about simply getting the job done.
… - I'm Simon Harrison, and I shall be keeping you updated on all of tonight's action with the help of Italian football writer Kris Voakes, who is lucky enough to be amongst the San Siro crowd!
… - Welcome to Goal.com's LIVE commentary of Inter vs Sampdoria at the San Siro, as Stramaccioni's men attempt to extend their winning run in Serie A to six games
Credit Goal.com
Chimdindu Nweke
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