Great save by Romulo! Valero is presented with a wonderful opportunity to make it 4-0 with the last kick of the game, but the makeshift goalkeeper pulls off a smart stop at the near post to deny the Spaniard.
90' +2
Verona have made all of their substitutions, so Romulo will have to feature in goal for the final few minutes. It's Perisic who steps up and shoots from the free-kick, but his curling effort smashes into the wall.
90'
Nícolas goes off after a red card!
RED CARD! A difficult day has just got a whole lot worse for Verona, who now find themselves down to 10 men. Nicolas stormed out and clattered into the onrushing Eder, leaving the referee with no choice but to give him his marching orders.
89'
Eder goes down inside the penalty area after tangling with Souprayen, but he's just about able to poke the ball back to Valero. The Spaniard quickly shoots, and his chipped effort flies a few yards wide of the far post.
87'
Another attempted Inter attacking move breaks down and presents Verona with a chance to counter-attack, but Fares' cross from the right wing is a poor one and can only find a black and blue shirt inside the box.
85'
Cerci is presented with an opportunity to burst deep into the Inter half of the pitch with the ball at his feet, but he holds onto possession for far too long and is dispossessed by Candreva before he can tee up a team-mate.
83'
Two excellent opportunities for Inter! Candreva cuts onto his right foot and unleashes a wonderful shot that smashes the far post after leaving Nicolas rooted to the spot. The ball then bounces out to Eder, who quickly shoots but is denied by a smart save from the Verona goalkeeper.
81'
Eder goes down inside the penalty area, but nothing is given! The striker makes a great run into the Verona box and latches onto a clever pass from Brozovic. He then rounds Nicolas and goes down under a challenge, but the linesman's flag is raised for offside and denies Inter a late penalty.
79'
A. Cerci enters the game and replaces B. Petković.
Verona have made a third and final change, with Petkovic being replaced by Cerci.
78'
Gagliardini goes close again! Joao Cancelo's cross from the set-piece is a great one and perfectly picks out Gagliardini, but the midfielder's header flies just wide of the goal after beating Nicolas.
Minute
Description
77'
Rômulo gets yellow.
Romulo catches Brozovic with a late challenge as the Croatian tries to break into the box, resulting in a booking for the Verona captain and a free-kick for the home side.
76'
What a chance for Gagliardini! More wonderful play by Perisic out wide sets up Gagliardini to shoot from inside the penalty area, but his scuffed effort fails to trouble Nicolas and deflects comfortably wide of the goal.
75'
Borja Valero enters the game and replaces Rafinha.
Valero has come on to replace Rafinha, who impressed once again this afternoon.
73'
Slightly sloppy play by Verona gifts possession to Inter midway inside the visitors' half of the pitch. Brozovic quickly tries to pick out Candreva over on the right wing, but Vukovic is there to throw his body in the way of the ball.
71'
Fares hits the post! Romulo muscles his way down the right wing and wins Verona a throw-in. It's taken quickly and worked to Fares, who beats Handanovic with an excellent strike that smashes the woodwork. What a great goal that would have been!
69'
Joao Cancelo goes close! Perisic, who has been excellent today, bursts down the left flank and fizzes a dangerous pass across the face of goal. It misses Eder but bounces over to Joao Cancelo, who quickly blasts a thumping first-time effort narrowly wide of the far post.
67'
Eder immediately gets involved in the thick of the action as he sprints into the right-hand side of the Verona box, but he can't quite find a way through on goal and loses out to Vukovic.
65'
D. Verde enters the game and replaces R. Aarons.
Éder enters the game and replaces M. Icardi.
Verde has come on to replace Aarons for the visitors.
Meanwhile, Icardi receives a standing ovation from the Inter fans as he's replaced by Eder.
64'
Gagliardini dives into Petkovic and catches the Croatian with a late challenge, leaving the referee with no choice but to show him a yellow card.
63'
R. Gagliardini gets yellow.
Candreva almost makes it 4-0! A quick Inter counter-attack ends with the winger, who cuts inside from the right flank and fires a rocket of a shot just wide of the far post.
61'
Romulo makes a decent run down the right wing before chipping a cross into the heart of the Inter box. It's well hit by the captain but the hosts have plenty of bodies back to easily dealt with the danger.
59'
D. Santon enters the game and replaces D. D'Ambrosio.
D'Ambrosio receives a rousing round of applause from the home fans as he's replaced by Santon.
58'
Great strike by Calvano! The midfielder is left in a pocket of space 25 yards away from goal and quickly shoots, but his curling effort sails just wide of the far post after getting the better of Handanovic.
57'
M. Bianchetti enters the game and replaces A. Ferrari.
Verona have made the first substitution of the game, with Ferrari making way for Bianchetti.
56'
Inter seem content to sit back and soak up the pressure being put on them. With three goals under their belts, they don't need to commit too many men forward, and they can afford to take their foot off the pedal ever so slightly.
54'
Petkovic drifts out wide and picks up the ball on the left flank. He then chips a cross into the box, but it's sent too near to Handanovic and is easily collected by the goalkeeper.
52'
Despite already conceding, in many ways it's been a decent start to the second half by Verona. They're showing more attacking intent as they try to find a way back into the game, with plenty of yellow shirts swarming into the Inter half of the pitch.
50'
Aarons goes close! A low cross fails to penetrate the Inter penalty area but results in a corner for Verona. Romulo's cross is a good one and pinballs to Aarons, who quickly shoots and sends a half-volleyed effort just wide of the near post.
48'
M. Icardi has scored a goal for Inter Milan! Assist by I. Perišić.
Rafinha is left in far too much space deep inside the Verona half of the pitch, allowing him to spin and set up Candreva out wide. The winger quickly works the ball back to Perisic to shoot, but the Croatian can't quite guide his effort through the sea of yellow camped just in front of him.
Once again, Perisic showed great vision to pick out his captain in front of goal. Both players have been on fire this afternoon, and they're proving to be constant thorns in the side of the Verona defence.
GOAL! It's another for Icardi! Ferrari loses the ball in a dangerous position, allowing Perisic to burst into the box and cross. His pass over to the far post is an excellent one, and Icardi is easily able to poke the ball into the back of the net for his second goal of the game.
46'
We're underway once again!
45' +2
Aarons weaves his way down the left flank and wins a late corner off Gagliardini. It's taken quickly and curled over to Caracciolo, who sends a half-hearted header comfortably wide of the goal.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be two minutes of added time.
44'
Another vital interception by Vukovic! Brozovic has really impressed this afternoon, and he's able to pick out Perisic with a lovely pass into the penalty area. The latter then tries to set up Icardi to shoot, but once again Vukovic is there to deny the striker.
43'
Verona push forward once again as they enjoy a decent spell of possession before the half-time break, but Ferrari's swinging cross is a poor one and sails straight into the hands of Handanovic, who has had very little to do today.
41'
Verona patiently knock the ball around as they try to find a way through Inter's determined back line, but Buchel's final pass down the left wing is a poor one and bounces behind for a goal-kick.
39'
Almost a great chance for Inter! More wonderful play by Rafinha sees him storm into the penalty area and send a pass towards Icardi, who looks set to shoot but isn't able to do so due to a vital interception from Vukovic.
38'
Aarons and Fares link up nicely deep down the left wing before the latter crosses, but Joao Miranda is easily able to deflect the ball behind for Verona's first corner of the afternoon. It fails to result in a chance in goal, though, and Joao Miranda comfortably wins the home side a goal-kick.
36'
Candreva is the latest Inter player to be caught late, sending him crashing to the floor. Verona have really struggled so far and are allowing their frustration to get the better of them.
34'
M. Fares gets yellow.
An attempted Verona attacking move doesn't come to anything, allowing Inter to quickly counter-attack. Rafinha does well to dart into the visitors' half of the pitch but is then immediately clattered into by Fares, who receives a booking for his cynical sliding challenge.
33'
And now Gagliardini goes close! Inter quickly regain possession and Perisic sends a cross into the middle of the box. Gagliardini rises high and does well to meet it, but he can only sends his looping headed effort over the top of the crossbar.
32'
Vital interception by Vukovic! Joao Cancelo embarks on a brilliant run as he weaves through the middle of the pitch. He then sets up Perisic to cross, and Vukovic is just about able to get to the ball ahead of Icardi at the far post.
30'
Verona really are struggling to deal with Inter's determined front line. This time it's Candreva who gets himself into a promising position and shoots from from 20 yards out, but his thumping strike ends up bouncing a few yards wide of the far post.
28'
Inter patiently work the ball around inside the visitors' half of the pitch before Icardi is set up by a lovely pass from Candreva. The captain then backheels the ball to Joao Cancelo, who looks set to fire in his first ever Serie A goal but is quickly denied by the linesman's flag.
26'
Icardi breaks through the Verona back line once again after the visitors are caught sleeping on the edge of their own box, but Nicolas does well to rush out and deal with the danger before the striker can shoot.
24'
Gagliardini storms through the middle of the pitch and tries to poke a pass through to Icardi, but Caracciolo is there to deflect the ball behind for a corner that's curled straight into the hands of Nicolas.
22'
Verona are presented with a chance to test Handanovic for the first time this afternoon after a bouncing ball finds its way to Calvano, but the midfielder can't guide his first-time strike through a sea of black and blue and Inter comfortably hold on.
20'
Icardi does well to hold up the ball on the edge of the Verona box before spinning and picking out Perisic. The winger tries to get a quick shot away but his first touch lets him down and Nicolas is there to pounce on the ball.
18'
The referee quickly checks with VAR after Petkovic claims he was caught by D'Ambrosio, but the replays show no contact was made and the game is soon back underway.
17'
A foul by D'Ambrosio on Aarons presents Verona with an opportunity to push forward on their first attack of the afternoon. The ball pinballs dangerously around the box as Petkovic tries to get a shot away, but he has it poked away from him by D'Ambrosio just as he's about to pull the trigger.
15'
Rafinha does brilliantly inside the Verona half of the pitch once again before teeing up Perisic out wide, but this time the Croatian ends up bringing a promising move to a disappointing end with an attempted cross-cum-shot that sails behind for a goal-kick.
13'
I. Perišić has scored a goal for Inter Milan! Assist by M. Brozović.
GOAL! It's another for Inter! More poor defending from Verona, this time by Ferrari, allows Perisic to latch onto a lovely Brozovic pass before penetrating the box and finding the back of the net via the inside of the post.
Brozovic showed great vision to spot a clever run from Perisic, but once again Verona let themselves down with poor defending. They were caught too high up the pitch and Ferrari failed to properly track Perisic's run from out wide.
11'
And now Gagliardini goes close! Rafinha makes a wonderful run down the left wing and into the penalty area. He then cuts the ball back to Gagliardini, who quickly shoots but sends his effort a few yards over the crossbar.
9'
Huge chance for D'Ambrosio! Candreva cuts inside from out wide and unleashes a thumping low strike, but a deflection from Buchel sends it wide of the near post and behind for a corner that eventually pinballs over to D'Ambrosio. The defender only has Nicolas to beat, but he sends his headed effort onto the roof of the net instead.
7'
Both players are thankfully able to quickly recover, despite it looking as if Nicolas had come off particularly badly. Inter push forward once again through Brozovic, but he can't quite find Icardi and sends his pass straight to a yellow shirt.
6'
Rafinha is able to get back to his feet, and the game gets underway once again. Gagliardini sends a lofted pass deep into the Verona half of the pitch and towards Icardi, who tries to reach it ahead of Nicolas but is beaten by the goalkeeper, who then collides nastily with the Argentine.
5'
M. Büchel gets yellow.
Inter eventually put the ball out of play so that Rafinha can receive medical treatment, and after being given a stern talking to by the referee, Buchel is shown an early yellow card.
3'
Ouch! A few tasty challenges have been flying in already, and Rafinha has been left on the floor after being clattered into by a late challenge from Buchel. For the moment, Inter are playing on as they continue putting their visitors under plenty of pressure.
1'
M. Icardi has scored a goal for Inter Milan! Assist by I. Perišić.
We're off! Inter get us underway, attacking from left to right.
GOAL! What a start for Inter! 38 seconds into the game they've already managed to find the back of the net! Icardi was left all alone on the edge of the Verona box, allowing him to latch onto the ball and easily stroke it past Nicolas.
It was quick thinking from Perisic that set up Icardi, but what were the Verona defenders doing? They left the striker all alone in front of goal, and he was easily going to be able to find the back of the net from there.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of today’s Serie A game between Inter and Hellas Verona at San Siro.
Has Inter’s worrying run of inconsistency finally come to an end? The Nerazzurri headed into the international break in the best possible fashion with a 5-0 thrashing of Sampdoria, moving them one point ahead of Lazio and giving them a much-needed boost in what is proving to be a fierce fight for fourth place.
Inter have certainly looked better in recent weeks but they’re not out of the woods just yet. As such, a visit from an out-of-form Verona side is a welcome one for Luciano Spalletti’s men. Despite their recent struggles, Inter have only lost once at home this season.
It looked as if Verona had turned a corner when they recorded back-to-back wins against Torino and local rivals Chievo, but they were sent crashing back to earth by 5-0 thrashing at home to Atalanta in their last Serie A outing.
It’s left Verona in 19th place, three points from safety and in desperate need of points. To make matters worse, history certainly isn’t on their side. They’ve never won against Inter at San Siro, with seven of the last nine meetings between the two ending in victories for the Nerazzurri.
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): Samir Handanovic; Joao Cancelo, Milan Skriniar, Joao Miranda, Danilo D’Ambrosio; Marcelo Brozovic, Roberto Gagliardini; Antonio Candreva, Rafinha, Ivan Perisic; Mauro Icardi.
Hellas Verona substitutes: Daniele Verde, Marco Fossati, Alessio Cerci, Franco Zuculini, Marco Silvestri, Lee Seung-Woo, Matteo Bianchetti, Deian Boldor, Mattia Valoti, Enrico Bearzotti, Ferdinando Coppola, Gianfilippo Felcioli.
Hellas Verona XI (4-3-3): Nicolas; Alex Ferrari, Antonio Caracciolo, Jagos Vukovic, Samuel Souprayen; Romulo, Marcel Buchel, Simone Calvano; Rolando Aarons, Bruno Petkovic, Mohamed Fares
Luciano Spalletti has decided to name an unchanged Inter side to the one that started the victory away to Sampdoria, with in-form Rafinha once again featuring just behind Mauro Icardi.
Meanwhile, Verona boss Fabio Pecchia has made two alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Souprayen and Aarons coming into the starting line-up to replace Verde and Ryder Matos.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: INTER 2-0 HELLAS VERONA
It's been a very comfortable afternoon for Inter so far, and they deservedly head into the half-time break with two goals under their belts. In truth, they could be a further three or four ahead, but an impressive performance from Vukovic in the heart of the Verona defence has managed to stop the Nerazzurri from furthering their already comprehensive lead.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: INTER 3-0 HELLAS VERONA
Verona got off to the worst possible start when Icardi fired Inter into the lead with little over 30 seconds on the clock, and from then onwards it was a terribly tough afternoon for the Gialloblu. They offered a little more after the break but remain in real trouble inside the relegation zone.
As for Inter, a third win in four games - and another easy one, too - has set them up perfectly for Wednesday's big derby against Milan. They were comfortably on top throughout the game today, and they never looked like losing after starting so well.
Commentary
More…