Players of Inter Milan celebrate winning the final of Italian Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) between Napoli and Inter Milan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 22, 2024. (Xinhua)
RIYADH, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Lautaro Martinez scored in stoppage time as Inter Milan beat 10-men Napoli 1-0 to claim their third consecutive Supercoppa here on Monday.
In the first edition of the competition adopting a four-team format, Inter crushed Lazio 3-0 in the semifinal while Napoli also eliminated Fiorentina by a three-goal margin.
The Nerazzurri dominated Monday's game by stringing together a run of play. Lautaro had found the net in the 38th minute but it was ruled out due to Marcus Thuram's offside position in the buildup.
Napoli were one player down on the hour mark when Giovanni Simeone was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.
Inter kept their pressure, and it paid off in the 91st minute when Benjamin Pavard rolled the ball across the face of the goal for Lautaro to fire home.
"I want to congratulate my lads, who played a semifinal three days ago. This was new for everyone and our performance suffered a bit, but our concentration levels were excellent and we defended really well," said Inter's coach Simone Inzaghi after his side won their eighth Supercoppa.
"We could have taken a first-half lead through [Federico] Dimarco and scored earlier in the second half, but we were up against a great team.
"Great credit should also go to our fans, who had a long journey, and we wanted to celebrate in front of them to share this victory with them," he added. ■
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez celebrates with teammates after winning the final of Italian Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) between Napoli and Inter Milan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 22, 2024. (Xinhua)
Inter Milan's Matteo Darmian (L) vies with Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia during the final of Italian Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) between Napoli and Inter Milan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 22, 2024. (Xinhua)
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez (L) vies with Napoli's Jens Cajuste during the final of Italian Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) between Napoli and Inter Milan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 22, 2024. (Xinhua)
Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram (L) vies with Napoli's Stanislav Lobotka during the final of Italian Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) between Napoli and Inter Milan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 22, 2024. (Xinhua)
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez (2nd L) scores during the final of Italian Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) between Napoli and Inter Milan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 22, 2024. (Xinhua)
Inter Milan's Stefan De Vrij (L) and Benjamin Pavard (R) vie with Napoli's Giovanni Simeone during the final of Italian Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) between Napoli and Inter Milan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 22, 2024. (Xinhua)
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez lifts the trophy with teammates and head coach Simone Inzaghi after winning the final of Italian Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) between Napoli and Inter Milan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 22, 2024. (Xinhua)
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez (C) lifts the trophy after winning the final of Italian Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) between Napoli and Inter Milan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 22, 2024. (Xinhua)
Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram (R) lifts the trophy after winning the final of Italian Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) between Napoli and Inter Milan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 22, 2024. (Xinhua)
