Serie A Liveblog: Inter vs. Genoa | OneFootball

21:46 That is all for the Liveblog

We’ll see you tomorrow for Bayern Munich vs. Lazio!

21:44 Inter now have 72 points

That is as many as throughout ALL of last season.

21:42 FT: Inter 2-1 Genoa

12 wins out of 12 in 2024 and 15 points clear at the top.

21:40 Genoa row

Cross to the back post, Bani nods it out for a goal kick, Spence is furious he didn’t leave it. Bani is unimpressed too.

21:39 Save on Arnautovic!

Powerful strike, Martinez parries and Thuram is not ready on the rebound!

21:39 Added time

Into 4 minutes

21:36 Inzaghi booked

Simone Inzaghi booked for repeatedly leaving the technical area.

21:35 Genoa sub

Caleb Ekuban on, Sabelli off. All attack now.

21:33 Oh dear

Sky Sport Italia report there is another angle they found of the penalty showing Frendrup DID get to the ball. So that really, really was not a penalty.

21:31 Block on Carlos Augusto

That was absolutely going in! Divine Thuram disguised pass with his back to goal sends Carlos Augusto through, but Bani flings himself in the way!

21:30 Barella over

Carlos Augusto flicks on the long-ball, Arnautovic back-heel flick sends Thuram down the left, pulls back for Barella to blast over!

21:29 Vitinha foul

On the corner, Vitinha manhandles Acerbi and the ball.

21:29 Bisseck block

He really had to make that block, Retegui had turned well in the box! Corner for Genoa.

21:28 Gudmundsson handball

He’s had a really poor game, promising counter ruined by his handball.

21:24 Inter sub

Lautaro Martinez off, Arnautovic on

21:22 Retegui close!

Free header for Retegui from 12 yards, he turns it wide!

21:21 Inter sub

Bisseck on, Pavard off. Genoa definitely pushing forward now and earn another corner.

21:19 Genoa corner

Genoa corner cleared, but not very far, Spence pulls back from the left for Retegui, shot charged down.

21:16 Lautaro Martinez booked

Odd one. Lautaro Martinez runs into the box, runs into the back of a defender, goes down and is booked for simulation. It wasn’t a foul, but not sure that qualifies as a dive either. Odd.

21:14 Genoa goal disallowed!

Vitinha had absolutely smashed that under Sommer into the near bottom corner, BUT the offside flag was up! The flicked header on to send him through was the culprit.

21:13 Inter subs

Thuram and Acerbi on for their comebacks, Alexis Sanchez and Dimarco off. So Carlos Augusto moves to left-back.

21:12 For the Americans

21:11 Vasquez goal

21:10 Genoa subs

Spence and Vitinha on, Martin and Messias off

21:09 Faces from the past

Julio Cruz and Francesco Colonnese are in the stands. Colonnese has totally white hair. We feel old just looking at him.

21:09 Vasquez booked

Vasquez late on Barella, who had got there first, yellow card.

21:08 Pavard foul

Cross from the right, Genoa defender gets there first and Pavard ends up booting Bani instead.

21:07 Save on Carlos Augusto

Carlos Augusto scorcher palmed over by Martinez for a corner.

21:02 Inter 2-1 Genoa: Johan Vasquez!

That’s a splendid strike! Sabelli cross knocked down at the back post by Martin, Gudmundsson lays it off, cleared to the edge of the area and Vasquez smacks it on the volley low into the far bottom corner!

21:00 Mkhitaryan strike

Plenty of power, but no angle, straight at Martinez.

21:00 Darmian opportunity

Darmian angled drive was probably going wide, but either way the Genoa defender got the block in.

20:58 Lautaro curler

Lautaro Martinez sensational first touch to capture an Alexis Sanchez cross with the outside of a fully-stretched boot, then curls just over.

20:57 Genoa threaten

Messias at the back post nods down a cross, Inter clear in a slight panic.

20:55 Strootman booked

He only came on because Frendrup was on a card… Very high challenge on Lautaro Martinez in midfield.

20:53 2nd half kicks off: Inter 2-0 Genoa

If it ends like this, Inter go 15 points clear at the top of the table.

20:52 Subs

Darmian on, Dumfries off.

Strootman on, Frendrup off.

20:51 That penalty

20:49 The Inzaghi Special

Dumfries has a yellow card, so Dumfries replaced by Darmian at half-time. Also, Dumfries was pretty poor in that half.

20:38 Coincidence?

Inter were quite sluggish at the start. They woke up literally a couple of minutes after the Curva Nord ended their protest and walked into the stands.

20:36 Asllani goal

20:35 Half-Time: Inter 2-0 Genoa

Slow start, Genoa threaten, then Inter take control.

20:33 Mkhitaryan chance

Lautaro battles like a lion in midfield, Mkhitaryan on the counter, but he hesitates and the shot is charged down by a sliding Vasquez block for a corner.

20:31 Genoa fight back

Gudmundsson gets to the by-line, pulls back, but it’s blocked off.

20:28 Lautaro Martinez chance

Cross from the left, Lautaro Martinez hits it first time against Bani’s chest. Lautaro says it was hand. It looks like it hit the chest and then onto the arm, but the arm was in a natural position. Don’t know what else Bani could’ve done.

20:27 Is that a penalty?

Barella had already taken the shot. This is the issue and why VAR suggested an On-Field Review.

20:25 Inter 2-0 Genoa: Alexis Sanchez penalty!

His first Serie A goal in two years, blasts into the far corner, sending Martinez the wrong way!

20:24 Alexis Sanchez to take!

20:23 VAR

Penalty confirmed! The referee watched that a dozen times to be sure.

20:22 VAR!

Because Barella already took the shot…

20:20 Penalty for Inter!

Barella had sprung the offside trap and burst down the left, he gets the shot away onto the side-netting, but Frendrup absolutely wipes him out. He’d already taken the shot, but it was SUCH a stupid foul, it was impossible to ignore.

20:17 Inter 1-0 Genoa: Kristjan Asllani!

The deadlock is broken and it’s Inter who take the lead with Asllani’s first Serie A goal of the season! Lovely team move, quick passing, Alexis Sanchez sends Asllani through the middle and he draws Martinez out to fire into the roof of the net from a tricky angle!

20:15 End to end!

Genoa with a promising move, Martin pulls back from the left to the edge of the area, but the Genoa teammate made a different run, so Lautaro Martinez goes on the counter for the entire length of the pitch and is exhausted by the time he’s robbed.

20:14 Actually…

We take it back, that wasn’t six yards for Gudmundsson. More like three.

20:12 Double Genoa chance!

Oh what a chance! Sabelli stands up a cross to the back post for Retegui, header into the ground palmed away by Sommer and then Gudmundsson fires the rebound wide from six yards!

20:10 Barella chance!

What a goal that would’ve been! Mkhitaryan floats in a cross-field pass, Barella at the back post with a cushioned volley off the inside of the boot, it looped over the goalkeeper and JUST onto the roof of the net!

20:09 Dumfries booked

His poor start to the game continues, mistimed high boot that catches Martin in the stomach. That was less malicious, more dumb.

20:07 Frendrup booked

First card of the game goes to Frendrup for being all over the back of Barella.

20:05 Groans at San Siro

That was a very good idea, Mkhitaryan through ball was sending Dumfries clear on goal, but the first touch was very poor.

20:04 Header wide

Better Genoa corner, Retegui nods off target. De Winter had got away from Dumfries, he was in a better position there.

20:04 That was a waste

Gudmundsson with a terrible corner intercepted by Asllani. He claims he was fouled by the Genoa man, but instead it’s another corner.

20:03 Genoa force a corner

Good passing move, including a Messias back-heel flick, Retegui shot charged down for the corner.

20:02 Double save on Dimarco

Dimarco really did look offside at the start of that move, but the linesman stuck with the rules and kept the flag down until the move was completed, and Martinez made two good reaction saves anyway.

20:01 Inter showing respect here

They are not pouring forward, instead waiting to find a way through. They know Genoa are dangerous on the counter.

19:57 Genoa counter

Sabelli gets his head to the Martin cross, but can only knock it back down in the box and Inter struggle to clear.

19:56 Inter ultras protest

Boycott over ban on certain banners, drums and audio equipment.

19:54 Genoa foray

First Genoa foray forward after a Mkhitaryan error, but the ball is slightly beyond Retegui and Carlos Augusto blocks him off.

19:53 Lautaro

Barella through ball is inviting, but Lautaro Martinez can’t quite get control of it and can only slide it back towards his namesake, the Genoa goalkeeper Martinez.

19:52 Inter possession

Somewhat inevitably, Genoa sitting deep early on. There are some Genoa fans, though – loud ones!

19:47 We have kick-off in Inter vs. Genoa!

19:45 Inter vs. Genoa line-ups

Inter: Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Carlos Augusto; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Alexis Sanchez, Lautaro Martinez

Genoa: Martinez; De Winter, Bani, Vasquez; Sabelli, Frendrup, Badelj, Messias, Martin; Gudmundsson, Retegui

19:42 We forgive the DJ

At least he isn’t completely mangling Metallica with some mash-up…

19:37 Alberto Gilardino (Genoa)

“I told the lads to have courage, as we are proving our growth process over these months,” Gilardino told Sky Sport Italia.

“We know that we are facing a team in an incredible period of form, but we want to make a good impression and play like Genoa.

“There are very few weaknesses in the Inter squad, they have players who can make the difference in every area of the pitch. We worked on a strategy during the week, aiming to make the most of our own strengths, even when we don’t have the ball at our feet.”

19:20 Turtles

19:19 Um…

The DJ not as frightening as life-size Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wandering around on the pitch at San Siro.

19:12 Watch Inter vs. Genoa warm-ups

Maybe turn the sound down to avoid this bizarroworld Queen-Prodigy-Rage Against The Machine mash-up.

Here.

19:11 Genoa the most stylish team

19:08 Milan Badelj (Genoa)

“We face Inter the same way, with the spirit of sacrifice and teamwork, everyone pulling something extra out and hoping that it might be a bit of an off day for Inter. Most of the team earned promotion from Serie B last season, so we know each other well, and then other elements were added to increase the quality level. That helped us get results against teams in the top half of the table.”

Today is the sixth anniversary of the tragic and sudden death of Fiorentina defender Davide Astori and Badelj was not just his teammate, but also took on the captain’s armband.

“Certainly he is in my thoughts. I know today is the day, but I carry Davide with me everywhere and every day.”

“This evening the objective is to be ourselves, play our usual game and remember this match is just as important as all the others. I am very happy with my own performance and that of the group. The season is not over yet, there are many games still to be played, we hope to keep this form going to the end of the campaign.

“I came here to win the Scudetto at a club like Inter, but it’s not done yet, there is a long way to go and we’ve got to win tonight.”

18:55 Luci a San Siro

18:46 For the ‘Inzaghi Out’ crowd

18:39 Inter vs. Genoa line-ups

Inter: Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Carlos Augusto; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Alexis Sanchez, Lautaro Martinez

18:37 Special shirt

18:36 Inter bus arrives

Join us for all the build-up and action as it happens from tonight’s Serie A match, as Inter try to extend their lead further against high-flying Genoa.

It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 GMT.

This is the concluding fixture in Serie A Week 27, where Juventus lost to Napoli, so it means a victory would send Simone Inzaghi’s men 15 points clear at the top of the table.

However, Genoa are one of only four teams who avoided defeat against the Nerazzurri this season, earning a 1-1 draw in December.

Alberto Gilardino’s side lost only one of their last 11 Serie A matches, also holding Juve, Bologna and Napoli to stalemates.