ANOTHER WASTED CHANCE FROM JOVETIC! Inter have a four-on-two break and Jovetic has daylight ahead of him. They were lining up at the back post, but he takes too long to make up his mind and set up his shot, firing it into the back of a defender!
90' +1
Felipe Melo gets yellow.
COULD HAVE BEEN ALL WRAPPED UP! Perisic is found wide open at the back post. His first touch lets him down, but he recovers in time to square to Jovetic near the penalty spot, but the striker is challenged before he can make the finish count!
89'
A. Ranocchia enters the game and replaces Alex Telles.
A dangerous free-kick floated in by Verona finds no takers, with Pisani arriving a fraction too late. Time is fast running out here for the visitors but at this stage, can you really begrudge Inter their win?
87'
Telles has plenty of room to advance down the left and he clips in a great-looking cross for Icardi. However, before the striker can pounce, Helander steps in with a SUPER diving, off-balance header to clear!
85'
Verona are struggling to keep the ball out of their own half. Melo and Co. are doing an excellent job of forcing them away from goal, and into safety-first passes back to the defenders.
83'
Helander has had a generally sound game, but he clatters into Icardi, sending the striker flying and earning himself a yellow card. Less than 1- minutes to go here for Verona to get back in this.
82'
F. Helander gets yellow.
81'
Miranda puts the ball out of bounds so Telles can receive attention. The full-back is in no hurry to get back to his feet given the scoreline and the time left as the physios enter the pitch.
79'
HANDANOVIC WITH THE SAVE! The Slovenian stopper sees a shot from Siligardi sent straight at him (say that five times fast). It's too hot to handle though, and he pushes it wide with Miranda cleaning up.
77'
CHANCE FOR INTER DOWN AT THE OTHER END! Perisic really shows his speed to motor down the left and ping a cross to the near post for Icardi. He's moving away from goal and has Helander on his back and as a result, can't convert on the turn with Rafael blocking. He appeals for a penalty as he goes to ground, but nothing doing.
Minute
Description
75'
M. Zaccagni enters the game and replaces J. Sala.
WHAT A CHANCE THAT WAS! Greco was superb out on the left, sailing past his marker with ease and teeing up Siligardi just inside the area. He had time and space to shoot, but puts it wide!
72'
The tempo of the match has stagnated in recent minutes. Verona are seeing more of the ball but are simply unable to string more than a few passes together in the final third.
71'
S. Souprayen enters the game and replaces M. Albertazzi.
70'
Albertazzi sums up Verona's desperation with a wild shot from a long way out that goes nowhere near the target. This has been a terrible offensive showing from the visitors. The absent Luca Toni, pushing 40, is still as vital as ever for them. His presence has been missed today.
68'
A short corner is swung in by Jovetic, which Rafael meets with a far-from-convincing punch. The former Fiorentina man has been an active presence in the opposition half since his introduction.
66'
Greco is the next player to pick up a caution after he slid two-footed into Icardi. That was a nasty challenge and the referee was quite right to book him. I'm not sure what he's complaining about.
65'
L. Greco gets yellow.
64'
Inter continue to keep the pressure on, and Perisic comes close to adding another goal with an effort at the near post. One more goal would do it you feel for the Nerazzurri, with Verona not offering much in attack.
63'
J. Biabiany enters the game and replaces G. Kondogbia.
62'
Sala s the latest player to go into the referee's notebook for a foul on Kondogbia. The Frenchman gets to his feet and will play no further part in this match, with Biabiany set to replace him.
61'
J. Sala gets yellow.
60'
That first goal was so crucial for Inter. They can now take their time on the ball and afford a little more attention to stopping the occasional Verona break. However, I'm sure I'm not the only one hoping that Melo's strike opens things up more here.
58'
Jovetic was waiting on the sidelines to enter the fray, and he celebrated that Melo goal as heartily as anyone else in the ground. Mancini shoves him on just before the restart, with Ljajic, somewhat surprisingly, making way.
57'
S. Jovetić enters the game and replaces A. Ljajić.
56'
Felipe Melo has scored a goal for Inter Milan! Assist by Alex Telles.
THERE IS THE OPENING GOAL! San Siro erupts in delight as the home side take the lead. With open play yielding nothing, Inter resort to a set piece to break the deadlock as Melo smashes in Telles' corner with a commanding header. No chance for Rafael!
54'
OFF THE CROSSBAR! Where did that come from? Verona, under the cosh for so long, spring into life as Sala takes down a long ball at the top of the box, smashing an effort off the frame of the goal!
52'
Gomez is caught offside on a long ball from Helander as Verona attempt to break after a long defensive spell. The visiting side are starting to look for quick, direct balls over the top when they win back possession.
50'
The match continues to move at a ponderous pace, with Inter on the ball looking to probe their way through the Verona ranks. The midfield five for the men in yellow has been a huge factor in the stagnation of this game.
48'
A slow start to the second period with both teams trading spells in possession. There's been no changes other than Pazzini's forced departure through injury in the first half.
46'
Off we go again!
45' +1
That's the end of the half.
44'
Ljajic is drawing two and three defenders every time he picks up the ball. However, his teammates can't seem to take advantage of the extra space afforded by Verona's defensive tactics.
42'
From a corner, Miranda rises highest to get his head onto a ball, but it's deflected out for another kick. The next delivery goes all the way to the far side, where Medel's cross is cleared away.
40'
Ljajic holds onto the ball at the edge of the box and waits for a run in support, which eventually arrives from Guarin. The Colombian tries to power his way in down the byline, but he's blocked.
38'
It's Verona's turn to enjoy a spell on the ball. They haven't come close to really putting any worry in the mind of Handanovic as yet. Gomez and Pazzini have been starved of service thus far.
37'
G. Kondogbia gets yellow.
36'
The referee is back in his pocket again, this time to book Kondogbia for slicing into Viviani. It gives Verona a chance to build something and keep a hold of the ball for a little while at least.
34'
NOT TOO FAR OFF! The cross comes in from the right via Santon, and Kondogbia challenges for it at the back post. The initial header is not cleared, and the ex-Monaco man recovers quickest to acrobatically volley an effort into the stands from close range!
32'
The fouls continue to pile up with Verona resorting to the dark arts to ruffle Inter's feathers.Siligardi and Bianchetti both get telling offs from the referee after upending Medel and Icardi respectively.
30'
Ljajic plays provider for Inter once again, setting up Telles for a shot that draws a save out of Rafael. Moments later, Santon hooks in a cross for Icardi that just about misses the target.
28'
The ball has not left the Verona half for a very long while. Ljajic is seeing a lot of the ball in dangerous areas and is endeavouring to set up his teammates for shooting opportunities.
26'
Ljajic is the next one to try his luck, but he too sees his effort blocked. Some desperate defending here from Verona, who are not connecting at all with their passes in midfield and attack.
24'
Inter are starting to flex their muscles and force more pressure on the Verona goal. Guarin has a stinging left-footed shot blocked after a pass from Ljajic, while moments later, Perisic draws a save from Rafael.
22'
It appears that Pazzini won't be able to soldier on after all. He shakes his head as he departs. Luca Siligardi, who has just joined Verona this summer from Livorno, comes on instead.
21'
L. Siligardi enters the game and replaces G. Pazzini.
20'
Pazzini is wincing slightly but he's still back with us. However, it's the striker down at the other end who nearly makes something happen. Icardi is called for the narrowest of offsides after latching onto Guarin's through pass.
18'
The game resumes as Pazzini continues to receive treatment on the sidelines. For now, Verona will play with 10 men, and their first order of business is to defend against an Inter attack down the right.
16'
The game is delayed as the physios rush on to tend to Pazzini, who is left writhing in agony on the turf after a hard foul from Melo. The Brazilian appears to have escaped retribution from the referee, though.
14'
This match has been extremely scrappy, with the referee called into action more than once. Two yellow cards have already been dished out and I won't be surprised if that trend continues.
12'
DANGEROUS move there from Verona as Sala works the ball wide for the supporting Pisano. The right-back hoists a great cross into the area that is just over the head of Gomez, and not quite strong enough for Pazzini at the back post! That had the defence guessing!
10'
Plenty of turnovers in the middle of the park as both sides struggle to settle into any sort of rhythm. Verona have packed the midfield for this game, with two wing-backs supporting a central trio.
8'
M. Albertazzi gets yellow.
Albertazzi is the next player to pick up a booking for clattering into Melo. This presents an interesting opportunity from the set-piece for Inter, but Ljajic's free-kick is blocked with ease by the defence.
6'
Greco spots Pazzini making a run on the outside of Telles, and tries to pick him out with a long ball down the flank, but the striker is caught offside. Inter's full-backs should watch their defensive positioning more carefully.
4'
Verona make nothing of the free-kick though, with Kondogbia able to head clear. Guarin was also carded for the initial foul on Greco. A fairly slow start to proceedings here at San Siro.
3'
F. Guarín gets yellow.
Verona win an early free-kick about 25 yards from goal. It's at a bit of an angle, but still a great opportunity to get a good ball into the penalty area. Nearly everyone is back in the Inter box.
1'
Off we go.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Serie A clash between Inter and Verona at San Siro. Both teams have enjoyed different starts to the new season, and the visitors will be hoping for an upset against the much-fancied hosts. I'm Keeghann Sinanan, your guide for all the action.
Inter have surged to the top of the Serie A standings for 2015-16, with four wins from four giving them a two-point advantage over Torino at the summit. Remarkably, Roberto Mancini's men have done so by scoring only five times - although their miserly defensive record of a solitary goal conceded may be the bigger factor in their impressive return to relevance.
Verona currently sit in 15th place, and are yet to enjoy a win for the new campaign. Three draws and a defeat have seen them struggle to pick up momentum, while four total goals could signal problems in their attacking unit. They finished 13th last season, and will be hoping to break into the top half of the table this time around.
Verona have traveled to San Siro 26 times to face Inter, but have never emerged with a victory. To add to that shocking run, Inter have not lost in any capacity to the Veneto outfit since February 1992, with 10 wins and two draws occurring during that span.
Mancini makes two changes to the side that won away at Chievo, with Miranda coming in for Jeison Murillo at the back, while Stevan Jovetic has been swapped out for Adem Ljajic, who flanks Mauro Icardi alongside Ivan Perisic.
Andrea Mandorlini changes nearly half of his lineup for this clash. Luca Toni's fitness problems have seen Giampaolo Pazzini drafted into the startling lineup instead, while Rafa Marquez also makes way for Matteo Bianchetti at the back. Rafael also steps in for Pierluigi Gollini between the posts.
The referee brings proceedings to a halt at San Siro, with both teams unable to break the deadlock. It's been a rather tame matchup here, as Inter have not created as many chances as their dominance of the ball might suggest. Verona have been non-factors in attack themselves. Stay tuned for the restart in just a bit.
And that will do it! Inter clinch a hard-fought victory over Verona that their play on the night merited. Melo's header in the second half told the story of this testy match, with yellow cards aplenty. Verona can have no complaints as they simply weren't good enough. For the first time in 49 years, Inter win their first five games of the season, and what's more, they've only conceded once in that span. They stay top.
That's it from me, Keeghann Sinanan here, signing off and wishing you all the best.
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