The fourth official indicates an additional three minutes at the end of the half for stoppages.
90'
Kolarov has a late chance but some contact just before he could shoot put the left-back off slightly, as he only manages a looping shot which Handanovic gets an arm to well!
88'
A Roma corner to the near post is met by the head of Dzeko who rises without anyone marking him. Despite the space, the striker can only manage to direct his header high over the goal.
84'
K. Baldé enters the game and replaces M. Politano.
N. Zaniolo gets yellow.
The free-kick just inside Roma’s half presents an opportunity for Inter’s third change, as Politano is replaced by Keita.
Zaniolo dives into a challenge on Joao Mario in order to prevent a counter-attack, which draws a yellow card from referee Marco Guida.
82'
Florenzi’s corner is met well by Fazio, but some miscommunication sees Dzeko also attack the ball and cause some confusion. It ends wide as the centre-back doesn’t get a clean enough effort towards goal.
81'
J. Kluivert enters the game and replaces L. Pellegrini.
Ranieri counters with Roma’s own second change – as Kluivert replaces Pellegrini.
79'
João Mário enters the game and replaces L. Martínez.
Joao Mario enters the match with just over 10 minutes remaining, as Martinez sees his number called. Inter will likely go back to one up top, with Icardi the focal point in attack.
76'
B. Cristante gets yellow.
Roma lose possession and Cristante is on hand to try and win the ball back, but he gets it wrong and receives a yellow card for the foul.
75'
Roma are in possession and look to counter via El Shaarawy, but his lack of team-mates brings play to a walking pace as the Giallorossi then opt to keep it in midfield, passing it from right to left. It looks like Roma want to take the sting out of the match, and regain their shape.
Minute
Description
73'
Politano rides two challenges after getting on the end of a move that started with a Perisic cross from the left and attempts what would be a spectacular curler from well outside the penalty area. It doesn’t come off for the winger however and ends disappointingly with a goal-kick.
71'
Politano’s corner is met by the instep of Nzonzi which clears it all the way into Inter’s half for Handanovic to claim.
69'
Kolarov’s corner comes out to Pellegrini who chests it down before firing a shot towards goal. Handanovic couldn’t have been able to see much of it, but he does well to make a comfortable stop.
67'
Pellegrini looks to curl a cross around Politano which he does successfully – but he’s unable to get the delivery past Politano who puts it out for a corner.
65'
Politano and Perisic stand over it but it’s the Croatia international who goes for it with his left foot. Mirante leaves a huge target in the goal for which to aim at – but Perisic doesn’t get the required dip as it sails over the crossbar.
64'
Martinez wins a free-kick for Inter on the right-hand just, just outside the penalty area. Fazio is the culprit as he once again uses force to try and stop Icardi – this time too much.
62'
M. Vecino gets yellow.
Vecino is booked immediately after the restart for taking Pellegrini down from behind in the centre circle.
61'
I. Perišić has scored a goal for Inter Milan! Assist by D. D'Ambrosio.
All the possession finally pays off for Inter as D'Ambrosio finally cracks the Roma defence and delivers a perfect assist for Perisic.
GOAL FOR INTER WHO MAKE IT 1-1! D’Ambrosio has the ball on his right foot outside the penalty area on the right flank and cuts inside, using his left to float a perfect cross to the far post for Perisic, whose diving header beats Mirante from close range!
60'
Valero comes forward again and slips a pass towards Icardi, but Fazio is all over the Inter striker who falls to the floor under the weight of the physicality. The referee sees nothing wrong with the display of force and allows play to continue.
58'
Politano has looked one of the brighter performers today for Inter, but he turns inside on the attack and puts a sloppy pass into the penalty area which Nzonzi can intercept easily. It’s all a bit slow and ponderous at the moment from the Nerazzurri.
56'
Inter have the ball in Roma’s half with Valero dictating play, but they are struggling to find an opening in the Roma defence, as all XI of Ranieri’s players are camped in their own half. The opportunity eventually presents itself to win back possession and Dzeko wins a smart foul from Skriniar which forces Inter back.
54'
M. Icardi enters the game and replaces R. Nainggolan.
Spalletti indeed decides to go with two strikers, as Icardi replaces Nainggolan six minutes before the hour mark. Can the former Inter captain turn the tides against the Giallorossi?
53'
Great defending from Florenzi sees Politano’s go behind for a corner-kick, as the right-back was under immense pressure from Perisic at the far post.
52'
Pellegrini gets into a great position near the goal on the left and receives an incisive pass from Zaniolo before hitting a first-time effort towards Handanovic. Perhaps the midfielder had more time with which to aim – as the range really necessitated a shot on target.
50'
Great chance for Martinez whose textbook header from just outside the six-yard box after a wonderful Politano cross is saved in the midriff by Mirante in the Roma goal. It’s another successfully weathered storm by the visiting defence!
48'
Asamoah immediately takes on Zaniolo and gets beyond him, making his way into the penalty area up the byline before his cutback is cleared by a Roma defender. Early warning signs for the Giallorossi in the second half!
46'
N. Zaniolo enters the game and replaces C. Ünder.
Ranieri makes a change at half-time as Zaniolo replaces Under for the second half – which allows the Italy international to play against his former side.
Roma get the second half underway from the kick-off, up by a score of 1-0!
45' +1
HALF-TIME: INTER 0-1 ROMA.
45'
The fourth official indicates an additional minute for stoppages at the end of the half.
44'
D’AMBROSIO GOES WIDE! Perisic’s corner is returned to him by Dzeko’s defensive header – and the Croatia international then goes to the far post following some fancy footwork. The Inter right-back is in a perfect position to attack the cross, but he somehow manages to send it just wide of the goal.
41'
Nzonzi looks to catch Inter’s midfield sleeping with a leading pass for El Shaarawy, but the Italy international is unable to hold his line as he is flagged for offside.
37'
Perisic swings a cross towards the top of the penalty area from the left, but he asks too much of Vecino whose header bounces wide of the goal, failing to ever trouble Mirante.
36'
Under gets into the penalty area and looks for an opportunity to nip in ahead of Skriniar to have a shot at goal, but composed passing between the centre-back and Handanovic makes sure that Inter get the ball away from danger while retaining possession.
34'
Inter are building an attack with the ball in midfield. Roma are holding their shape very well – forcing the Nerazzurri into a number of square passes which fail to penetrate the Giallorossi low block.
32'
Perisic is forced to cut inside on the left-edge of the penalty area and his pass centrally is cleaned up by Juan before a free-kick is given to Pellegrini following dangerous play from D’Ambrosio.
30'
A ball from the right from Valero is floated into the penalty area for Perisic whose perpendicular run to the goal sees him stray offside, which is immediately spotted by the linesman who raises his flag.
26'
A pass to El Shaarawy is met with a poor first touch by the Italy international, but D’Ambrosio’s mishandled recovery allows the ball to roll out for a fortunate Roma throw-in.
24'
The set-piece is floated into a central area but a Roma defender rises highest in the group of bodies around the six-yard area to clear away the danger.
23'
Asamoah is fouled by Cristante after the full-back looks to slow down the play. The replay suggests that Asamoah may have slipped instead of going down under the weight of a challenge, but either way Perisic has a free-kick on the left, just outside the penalty area.
22'
Roma look quite happy just sitting back and allowing Inter possession. The visitors look willing to soak up pressure and hit on the counter through El Shaarawy and Under – which could prove dangerous as Inter commit their full-backs forward in search of an equaliser.
20'
Dzeko looks to get involved in the build-up play outside the penalty area but his return pass for Cristante is hit with too much power as Inter win it back relatively easily and push forward, looking to expose Roma’s defence.
16'
Can Inter respond after going behind by a goal? To be fair the hosts have had a good start to the match, fashioning a couple good opportunities and moving it around in midfield quite comfortably. They’ll need to stay the course and maintain focus as there is still over 70 minutes to play.
14'
S. El Shaarawy has scored a goal for Roma! Assist by E. Džeko.
Dzeko has been quite industrious in the opposition half, and he’s already made his mark on the score sheet with a simple assist for El Shaarawy’s goal.
A STUNNING STRIKE MAKES IT 1-0 TO ROMA! El Shaarawy dribbles towards goal before cutting inside past D’Ambrosio, selling Valero on a feint and dispatching a wonderful right-foot shot into the bottom corner of the goal from outside the penalty area! It’s a magnificent strike to give the visitors the lead!
13'
A lovely touch from Martinez sets Inter away on a counter-attack but Politano is firmly halted just before getting into the penalty area thanks to a tough but fair challenge from Kolarov which allows Roma to get the ball into Inter’s half.
11'
Asamoah looks to float a cross into the middle for Nainggolan but Fazio steps in front of the delivery to head it away from danger. It isn’t fully clear though as Inter have a throw-in on the left which is taken by the left-back.
9'
Both sides have had good opportunities to score in the opening 10 minutes as both Spalletti and Ranieri look to have instructed their sides to go out and attack. Goals look likely as the game is already quite stretched and we’ve only just begun.
3'
Dzeko finds some space in the penalty area where he’s found by Kolarov with an incisive pass. The striker slips while dispatching a shot though which allows Handanovic to make a comfortable save.
1'
Inter get the match underway from the kick-off!
Hello and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the Serie A fixture between Inter and Roma at San Siro!
It’s a good day for Inter to extend their in third place as the Nerazzurri look to tighten their stranglehold on one of Italy’s two remaining Champions League places. A draw by Milan earlier against Parma would allow Inter to go seven points ahead of their city rivals with only five matches remaining and nine ahead of their opponents today should they emerge victorious. A win for Roma, on the other hand, coupled with Sampdoria and Lazio’s losses would see them overtake Milan by one point – earning a Champions League spot in the process – while closing the gap with Inter to just three.
A poor run of results which looked to destabilise Inter’s push for European qualification has been remedied quite well, with only one defeat in their last five matches. Fresh from beating 19th place Frosinone, Inter could be an unthinkable four points away from second place should they beat Roma, and Napoli lose to Atalanta tomorrow.
Roma are also recovering from a poor run of form which saw only one win in five matches – results which ultimately saw the sacking of Eusebio Di Francesco in favour of the return of Claudio Ranieri. They may not have been convincing, but Roma are on the back of two successive 1-0 victories – over Sampdoria and Udinese respectively. Ranieri’s side are first in a queue of four teams waiting for one of either Inter or Milan to slip up – and they could take matters into their own hands with a win at San Siro.
With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, the team news has been confirmed! Let's start with the home side!
INTER SUBS: Andrea Ranocchia, Cedric Soares, Roberto Gagliardini, Miranda, Joao Mario, Mauro Icardi, Daniele Padelli, Dalbert, Antonio Candreva, Keita Balde Diao.
INTER XI (4-2-3-1): Samir Handanovic; Kwadwo Asamoah, Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij, Danilo D’Ambrosio; Borja Valero, Matias Vecino; Ivan Perisic, Radja Nainggolan, Matteo Politano; Lautaro Martinez.
ROMA XI (4-2-3-1): Antonio Mirante; Alessandro Florenzi, Juan Jesus, Federico Fazio, Aleksandar Kolarov; Bryan Cristante, Steven Nzonzi; Cengiz Under, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Stephan El Shaarawy; Edin Dzeko.
ROMA SUBS: Daniel Fuzato, Diego Perotti, Nicolo Zaniolo, Javier Pastore, Alessio Riccardi, Patrik Schick, Justin Kluivert, Ivan Marcano, Robin Olsen, Ante Coric.
The big question for Inter at the half will be whether or not Icardi will be introduced if things continue. Martinez has looked quite good, causing trouble inside the penalty area as well as in midfield – but perhaps two strikers will do better against the organised Roma defence. With Keita and Joao Mario on the bench, the Nerrazzuri have no short of attacking options on the bench. Having won two matches in a row by a score of 1-0, Ranieri will no doubt urge his side to avoid risk as they look for a third clean sheet on the bounce.
That concludes our coverage of the Serie A fixture between Inter and Roma. We hope you enjoyed it!
Inter’s next fixture is a difficult one, as they host Juventus next Saturday. Roma return to the Stadio Olimpico in a week’s time when they play Cagliari.
Commentary
More…