Lautaro Martinez struck inside six minutes and Inter never looked back, cruising to a clinical 3-0 win over Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in Serie A Matchday 36. Petar Sucic doubled the lead before halftime, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan put the game to bed in the second half after Alessio Romagnoli’s red card reduced the hosts to ten men. Cristian Chivu’s side controlled this match from first whistle to last, outshot Lazio 14 to 9 and held 58% of the ball in a performance that left nothing to debate.
Key Moments
- 6′, Lautaro Martinez opens the scoring with a normal goal, putting Inter ahead inside the first ten minutes and setting the tone for the evening.
- 39′, Petar Sucic doubles Inter’s lead before halftime, making it 2-0 and effectively ending Lazio’s hopes of a comeback before the break.
- 59′, Alessio Romagnoli receives a red card for a serious foul, leaving Lazio with ten men for the final half-hour and eliminating any realistic path back into the match.
- 76′, Henrikh Mkhitaryan caps the night with Inter’s third goal, converting after sustained pressure on a depleted Lazio backline.
Tactical Breakdown
Inter’s 3-5-2 was a mismatch for Lazio’s 4-3-3 from the opening minutes. Chivu’s side used their wing-backs to stretch the hosts wide, creating pockets for Sucic and Mkhitaryan to operate centrally. The numbers back up the dominance: 58% possession, 640 total passes completed at 93% accuracy, and 10 of their 14 shots attempted from inside the box. Their xG of 1.13 against a final score of 3-0 tells you the finishing was efficient, not lucky.
The tactical shift that sealed the match came at halftime, when Inter withdrew both Thuram and Barella, protecting their key assets with a two-goal cushion already secured. Lazio, for their part, made three substitutions at the 56th minute in a desperate attempt to change the shape, but Romagnoli’s red card three minutes later made those adjustments irrelevant. Going down to ten men, Lazio had no credible way to press high or build attacks with any structure.
Lazio’s offensive numbers were respectable on paper, 5 shots on goal, 90% pass accuracy, 5 corner kicks, but the underlying quality was poor. An xG of just 0.55 reflects how few genuine scoring chances the hosts created. Their shots came from outside the box (5 of 9 total), and goalkeeper Josep Martinez was barely tested, needing only 4 saves across 90 minutes. The red card ended any pretense of a fight, and the final scoreline was fully deserved.
Player Ratings
Verdict
This was a statement win for Inter, executed with the kind of composure and tactical clarity that has defined their strongest stretches this season. For Lazio, it was a night to forget, outplayed for much of the match and down to ten men before the hour mark. Two rounds remain in Serie A, and Inter have given Chivu’s staff plenty to build on ahead of the season’s close.