Perisic makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Medel in Inter's final change of the game. The hosts are fully shutting up shop as they try to hang on to their slender lead for the remaining few seconds.
90' +2
Pucciarelli scores, but he's offside! Bittante picks up the ball in acres of space deep down the right wing and immediately sends a lovely pass through the Inter back line and into the penalty area. The striker meets it well before firing a thumping shot that flies into the back of the net, but as soon as it does the linesman's flag is correctly raised for offside.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
89'
Chance for Biabiany! Inter quickly come back at Empoli and the Frenchman breaks into the right-hand side of the penalty area before unleashing a rocket of a shot, but it flies a few yards wide of the near post and behind for a goal-kick. He really should have hit the target from there!
88'
I. Perišić gets yellow.
Biabiany receives a lofted pass forward on the edge of the Empoli penalty area, and he takes a quick touch before curling a cross into the feet of Perisic. The Croatian controls it well before being flagged offside, but he fires the ball behind the goal in frustration and receives a late yellow card.
87'
S. Handanovič gets yellow.
Handanovic takes his time with the resulting goal-kick and is shown a yellow card for timewasting as a result.
86'
Empoli move the ball from one flank to the other as they try to find a way through the sea of black and blue shirts camped in front of them. Saponara is eventually able to find himself in a pocket of space and tries to pick out Maccarone with a lofted pass into the hosts' penalty area, but it's completely overhit and misses the striker before bouncing out of play for a goal-kick.
84'
Perisic charges down the left wing as he tries to latch on to a loose ball forward. He initially looks to have beaten Tonelli before the centre-back goes crashing to the ground, and the referee ends up awarding a free-kick to Empoli, much to the annoyance of the Croatian who would have had a chance to go through on goal had the foul not have been given.
82'
R. Maiello enters the game and replaces P. Zieliński.
L. Bittante enters the game and replaces M. Zambelli.
Empoli have decided to make a double substitution as they try to find a way back into the game. The first player to come on is Bittante, who replaces Zambelli.
And the second is Maiello, who takes the place of Zielinski.
80'
Inter quickly come back at Empoli and almost find a third goal thanks to Brozovic, who penetrates the right-hand side of the penalty area before firing a low shot off the thigh of Costa and out for a corner. The set-piece initially fails to trouble the visitors and bounces out to Kondogbia, and the French midfielder then unleashes a thumping long-range strike that clears the top of the crossbar by quite some distance.
Minute
Description
79'
Biabiany breaks down the right wing and is afforded far too much time by the Empoli defenders, who all step away from the Frenchman and allow him to proceed. He then chips a lovely cross right on to the head of Perisic, but the Croatian is unable to guide his first-time header towards a teammate and it ends up finding Zielinski instead.
77'
A half-hearted Inter attack breaks down, allowing Empoli to break forward on a quick counter. The initially work the ball around well as they make their way down the left wing, but Rui is quickly put under pressure and is forced into spinning and playing the ball all the way back to halfway line before Zielinski concedes a throw-in.
75'
Empoli move the ball around really well deep inside the Inter half of the pitch, with Maccarone once again playing an important role in the attacking move. The striker links up with Zielinski before the Polish midfielder tries to chip a deft pass over the hosts' defence and into the path of Saponara, but Miranda is there to cut out the danger at the vital moment on the edge of the penalty area.
73'
Both sides are trying to hit each other on the counter after attacking moves come to an end, but neither seem to have the pace in their ranks to cause too many problems. First it's Empoli who attempt to do so through Maccarone down the right wing, but the veteran is dispossessed by Biabiany breaks forward. The Frenchman is slightly too tentative on the ball, however, and fails to release it soon enough, resulting in the visitors winning back possession on the edge of their own box.
71'
Brozovic and Biabiany link up well on the edge of the Empoli penalty area before the Croatian sends a pass out to D'Ambrosio on the right wing. The full-back is quickly closed down but is just about able to whip a cross into the heart of the box, but it's sent slightly too near to Pelagotti and the goalkeeper is comfortably able to cut out the danger as a result.
69'
D. Croce enters the game and replaces M. Büchel.
Buchel makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Croce for the final 20 minutes of the game.
67'
Inter have made their second change, and it's one that's been forced on them after Icardi picked up what looks to be a nasty knock whilst battling for the ball on the edge of the Empoli box. Biabiany comes on to take his place.
66'
J. Biabiany enters the game and replaces M. Icardi.
65'
Saponara breaks down the left flank before cutting a pass back to Maccarone, and as soon as he makes contact with the ball, the striker is brought down to the ground by a clumsy push from Miranda. This time he does receive a free-kick, which Rui sends towards the veteran, but the linesman's flag is raised, even though the replays show that his run was perfectly timed.
63'
Éder enters the game and replaces S. Jovetić.
Inter have made their first substitution of the game, with Eder coming on to take the place of Jovetic.
62'
Zambelli has been thoroughly enjoying himself down the right wing during the second half, and he's constantly finding space whenever he pushes forward. This time he charges down the flank before curling a dangerous, bouncing cross over towards Maccarone, who then goes down under a tackle from Miranda just as he's about to make contact with the ball. The veteran striker half-heartedly appeals for a penalty, but the referee ignores his pleas and waves play on.
60'
Inter have barely been able to push forward since the start of the second half, but they're almost fiven the chance to by a poor attempted pass by Tonelli. It can only find Brozovic, but the Croatian's first touch is poor and sends the ball straight ball to the defender before he's able to set up a teammate.
58'
Zambelli and Pucciarelli link up wonderfully well just outside of the Inter penalty area deep down the right wing. The latter then swings a cross towards Buchel, who had made a purposeful run into the box, but D'Ambrosio is there to clear the danger before being clattered into by the Empoli midfielder.
56'
And now Buchel goes close! Empoli quickly work their way towards the Inter penalty area before the midfielder finds himself in a pocket of space just outside of the box. He takes a quick touch before unleashing a looping strike, but there isn't quite enough dip on his effort and after beating Handanovic is flies just a yard or so over the top of the crossbar.
54'
Inter go close! The hosts work the ball around brilliantly down the left wing before Nagatomo charges towards the byline. He then cuts inside before trying to pick out Perisic, who is in a great position in front of goal, but Rui is just about able to get a foot on the ball to send it spinning into the hands of Pelagotti.
52'
It's been an impressive start to the second half from Empoli, who are currently on the front foot and putting Inter under plenty of pressure. Rui does well to muscle his way down the left wing before winning his side a corner, which is then taken short and sent to Zielinski. The Polish midfielder quickly fires a low cross into the heart of the penalty area, but it deflects off a white shirt and into the hands of Handanovic.
50'
Y. Nagatomo gets yellow.
Saponara embarks on a great run towards the edge of the Inter penalty area before being clattered into by a reckless sliding challenge from Nagatomo, who immediately receives a yellow card as a result. Rui steps up and unleashes a curling shot from the set-piece, but it's completely overhit and sails several yards over the top of the crossbar.
48'
Icardi charges towards the edge of the Empoli penalty area before tangling with Costa. The Argentine initially believes that he has been awarded a free-kick, one that would be in an incredibly advantageous position for Inter, but the referee eventually gives it to the visitors, much to the disbelief of the striker.
46'
And we're underway once again!
45'
Empoli quickly regain possession and work the ball around quickly as they attempt to push forward on one last attack of the first half, but they're unable to do so swiftly enough and the referee ends up bringing the opening period to an end before they can launch the ball into the penalty area.
44'
Maccarone muscles his way down the left wing and does well to earn his side a corner, which is then curled towards the far post. It looks set to find the back of the net after violently changing direction whilst in the air, but Handanovic is just about able to get a hand on it to stop it from doing so.
42'
What a chance for Icardi to make it 3-1! The Argentine flies down the right flank and skips past his marker with ease before going one-on-one with Pelagotti. He looks certain to score, or at least force the Empoli goalkeeper into making a save, but he does neither and instead spoons his shot comfortably over the top of the crossbar, much to the disbelief of the home fans camped behind the goal.
40'
I. Perišić has scored a goal for Inter Milan!
GOAL! Inter are back in front! The hosts quickly break forward on another quick attack, this time through Brozovic. The Croatian heads towards the edge of the penalty area before teeing up Jovetic, who then unleashes a thumping strike from close range. Pelagotti does well to save it but pushes the ball straight into the feet of Perisic, who is easily able to tap his follow-up into the back of an empty net.
39'
Icardi hits the post! Inter immediately break forward on a quick attack from the restart, with Kondogbia playing an important role in the move as he muscles his way towards the edge of the Empoli penalty area. He then unleashes a rocket of a shot that Pelagotti can only parry into the path of Icardi, but the Argentine striker's follow-up hits the woodwork before the linesman's flag is raised for offside.
37'
M. Pucciarelli has scored a goal for Empoli! Assist by M. Maccarone.
Assist Massimo Maccarone
GOAL! Empoli have equalised! Maccarone breaks down the left-hand side of the Inter penalty area before placing a low cross straight into the feet of Pucciarelli. Both Jesus and Nagatomo are there but the striker is easily able to skip through the middle of both of them before slotting a low shot past Handanovic and into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.
35'
Maccarone and Melo battle for the ball on the edge of the Inter penalty area before the veteran striker comes out on top. He does well to scoop the ball over to Buchel, who then goes down under a challenge from Miranda and immediately screams for a free-kick, but the referee isn't at all interested and allows play to go on.
33'
Inter patiently pass the ball around inside the Empoli half of the pitch as they try to find a way through the sea of white shirts in front of them, who now look far more well organised than they did earlier in the game. Frustrated at not being able to find a way forward, D'Ambrosio eventually fires a hopeful lofted pass down the right wing, but it fails to find a teammate and bounces all the way to Pelagotti.
31'
A half-hearted Empoli attacking move breaks down, allowing Inter to fly forward on a quick counter. Jovetic picks up the ball just outside of the visitors' penalty area and tries to find the top right-hand corner of the net with a curling strike, but his effort takes a deflection that sends it looping over the top of the crossbar and out for a corner that fails to result in a chance on goal.
29'
And now Maccarone has a shot on goal! Empoli have finally burst into life, and they're starting to find far more joy in front of goal as a result. They work the ball around quickly on the edge of the box before the veteran striker tests Handanovic with a low strike, but the Slovenian goalkeeper does well to hold on to the attempt on goal.
27'
What a chance for Saponara! Melo is caught sleeping on the ball just outside of the Inter penalty area, allowing him to have his pocket picked by the number 5. The attacking midfielder then plays a quick one-two with Pucciarelli before unleashing a shot from close-range, but Miranda is there to throw his body in the way of the strike.
25'
It doesn't quite seem to be working for Empoli, who are currently seeing a lot of the ball but are struggling to do much with it. This time it's Pucciarelli who tries to pick out a teammate with a lofted pass forward, but it's poorly hit and sails over the top of the Inter back line before bouncing out of play.
23'
Saponara and Maccarone link up well deep inside the Inter half of the pitch as Empoli quickly make their way towards the hosts' penalty area. The latter then sprays a pass out to the right wing and into the path of Zambelli, but the full-back is unable to reach the ball before it rolls out of play for a goal-kick.
21'
M. Büchel gets yellow.
An Empoli attack comes to an end, allowing Miranda to attempt to break forward on a quick counter-attack. However, he's immediately clattered into by a clumsy challenge from Buchel, who receives a yellow card as a result.
20'
Saponara muscles his way down the right flank before earning his side a corner. It's flung into the heart of the penalty area, where it finds the head of Maccarone, but the veteran striker is unable to direct his header towards goal and Melo is eventually able to get rid of the danger.
18'
Nagatomo breaks down the left flank before cutting inside and trying to pick out Icardi with a lofted cross into the middle of the Empoli penalty area, but it's slightly overhit by the Japan international and misses thr Argentine before sailing into the hands of Pelagotti.
16'
Perisic almost makes it 2-0! Empoli look wide open at the back every time Inter push forward, and the hosts are constantly finding plenty of joy on the counter. A half-hearted attack from the visitors breaks down and allows the Nerazzurri to fly forward before the Croatian unleashes a rocket of a strike from just inside the box, but his bullet effort is parried over the top of the crossbar by a strong diving save from Pelagotti.
14'
Rui picks up the ball deep down the left wing before curling a low cross towards the near post, but Miranda is there to thump it out of play for a corner. It's taken short before Zielinski tries to send a cross into the six-yard box, but this time it's Melo who's there to deal with the danger with a diving header.
12'
M. Icardi has scored a goal for Inter Milan! Assist by I. Perišić.
Assist Ivan Perišić
GOAL! Inter have taken a well-deserved lead! Perisic charges down the left flank on a great run before penetrating the Empoli penalty area. He's left in far too much space by the visitors' defence, allowing him to look up before picking out Icardi with a lovely pass. The Argentine is also left unmarked by the defenders, and he takes advantage of sloppy play to fire a thumping strike past the outstretched limbs of Pelagotti and into the roof of the net.
10'
Perisic twists and turns on the edge of the Empoli penalty area as he desperately tries to find a way through the sea of white shirts camped in front of him. He's just about able to poke a pass over to Jovetic, who then unleashes a low shot from 20 yards out, but Tonelli does well to throw his body in the way of the Montenegrin's effort to stop it from troubling Pelagotti.
8'
After spending the opening eight minutes largely on the back foot, Empoli are finally able to push forward on their first attacking move of the game. They work the ball around quickly before Zielinski cuts inside from the right wing and shoots, but his long-range effort fails to trouble Handanovic and flies comfortably wide of the Inter goal.
6'
Another chance for Inter! Once again, Brozovic, who has started the game really well, gets himself into a good position and is able to penetrate the Empoli penalty area, he then attempts to cut the ball back to Perisic, but his pass takes a deflection off a white shirt that sends it away from his fellow Croatian and out of the box.
4'
Inter try to break down the left wing once again, this time through Brozovic who does well to get himself into an advanced position, but the Croatian's attempted through-ball is cut out by the outstretched leg of Zambelli before it can reach the Japanese full-back.
2'
What a chance for Inter! The hosts immediately push forward on a great attack, with Jovetic kick-starting it in the middle of the pitch. He then works the ball over to Perisic, who cuts inside from the left wing before finding D'Ambrosio in acres of space over on the right-hand side of the Empoli penalty area. The full-back takes a quick touch before unleashing a low cross-cum-shot, but it takes a deflection off Costa and ends up bouncing away from the goal as a result.
1'
And we're off! Inter get us underway, attacking from left to right.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Serie A game between Inter and Empoli at San Siro.
A positive start to the season resulted in many people tipping Inter for their first Serie A title since 2010, but inconsistency has plagued them since the start of the new year and, as a result, the highest that they can now finish is fourth place. That means that the Champions League spot that seemed to be on the cards is no longer a possibility after last weekend’s frustrating 2-0 defeat away to Lazio, so the Nerazzurri must now make sure that they concentrate on finishing ahead of Fiorentina. A win today will be enough to make that happen, and recent history indicates that Roberto Mancini’s men have a good chance of doing just that. Inter have struggled desperately away from home, but at San Siro they have consistently performed well, with just three of their last 14 league games ending in defeat. Nine of those have resulted in victories, with six coming in their last seven clashes. This particular tie has also often been a positive one for them, as it’s now over 10 years since Empoli last beat the 18-time league champions, with eight of the last nine meetings between the two sides ending in wins for the latter side.
Empoli also enjoyed a good start to the campaign, but, like Inter, they too have tailed off in recent weeks and now sit in 12th place heading into their final two games of the season, safe from relegation but looking increasingly unlikely to finish in the top half of the Serie A table for the first time since 2007. A truly woeful run of form from the middle of January to the start of April saw them fail to win a single game in 12 attempts, and whilst they have won since then, only two of the next five ended in victories, with one of those wins coming against already-relegated Hellas Verona. They did manage to win 2-0 at home to fifth-place Fiorentina, however, but away from home they have consistently struggled since the start of 2016. It is now almost exactly fourth months since they last won away from the Stadio Carlo Castellani, with six of those eight games ending in defeat.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this afternoon…
Inter XI (4-2-3-1): Handanovic; D’Ambrosio, Miranda, Jesus, Nagatomo; Melo, Kondogbia; Brozovic, Jovetic, Perisic; Icardi.
Roberto Mancini has decided to make two changes to the Inter side that lost 2-0 against Lazio last Sunday, with Juan Jesus and Felipe Melo coming into the starting line-up to replace Gary Medel and Jeison Murillo, the latter of whom is suspended after being sent off at the Stadio Olimpico.
Meanwhile, Empoli boss Marco Giampaolo has made four alterations to the side that were held to a goalless draw at home to Bologna in their last Serie A outing, with Luca Bittante, Uros Cosic, Assane Diousse and Daniele Croce making way for Marco Zambelli, Lorenzo Tonelli, Leandro Paredes and Marcel Buchel, respectively.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: INTER 2-1 EMPOLI
So far, so good for Inter, who are currently on course for a win that will confirm a fourth-place finish. After starting the more dominant of the two sides, the hosts had to contend with a nervy period of play when Empoli started putting them under a lot of pressure, but they did well to fight back after Pucciarelli equalised for the visitors and certainly deserve to be in front. Marco Giampaolo's men have looked dangerous when pushing forward, with Maccarone doing particularly well, but they will have to increase the tempo further if they are to find a way back into the game after the break.
The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: INTER 2-1 EMPOLI
The referee blows his whistle for the final time and confirms that Inter will finish the season in fourth place thanks to today's victory. They weren't at their best this evening, but they certainly did enough to keep at bay an Empoli side that pushed hard for an equaliser in the second half but were unable to carve out too many chances on goal. The Nerazzurri's fourth-place finish represents their best since they were runners-up five years ago, but after starting the season so strongly, there is no doubt that both the players and the fans will be slightly disappointed to miss out on a top-three finish that looked a possibility earlier in the campaign.
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