Udinese stunned Inter with a 2–1 comeback at San Siro, overturning Dumfries’ opener through goals from Davies and Atta before half-time. Inter saw a Dimarco strike ruled out by VAR and piled on pressure late, but Udinese held firm with resilient defending and dangerous counter-attacks.
Israel Schmidt de Azevedo covers the key tactical themes from the match.
The match started with Udinese seeking to apply a high pressing line on Inter. Usually Davis would centralise in midfield, with Bayo and Atta pressing higher on the right and left respectively, forming a narrow triangle in attack. The defensive midfielder shifted left into a central-midfield role, while the right central midfielder pushed higher.
Inter looked to counter this by using Acerbi as the main pivot point in defence, progressing the ball wide through either Bisseck or Barella on the right and Bastoni or Sučić on the left. Çalhanoğlu, still the defensive midfielder, dropped closer to the back line to create a lozenge shape, offering passing options in build-up.
Bisseck or Barella operated wide like a wing-back on the right, with Bastoni or Sučić mirroring on the left, forming a broad midfield three. Up front, Thuram led the line with Lautaro orbiting as a second striker. Dumfries and Dimarco pushed from wing-backs into wide winger roles, stretching Udinese’s defence and providing outlets against the press.
In the 17th minute, Lautaro received the ball over Udinese’s pressing line, spun his marker and slipped a pass to Thuram. After a heavy touch, Thuram recovered to find Dimarco, who crossed low into the box. Lautaro regained possession, turned, and set up Dumfries to arrive and finish for Inter’s opener: 1–0.
When attacking, Udinese used Davis as a central pivot, with Bayo wide right and Zemura on the left. Atta and Piotrowski looked to exploit spaces centrally, especially Atta. The back three flattened into a line of four when defending.
Inter, by contrast, defended by narrowing their back three and pulling Dumfries and Dimarco deeper into full-back positions, forming a compact back five. Sučić and Barella alternated between dropping deep or pressing forward depending on where Udinese built their attack.
Udinese nearly levelled when Davies held the ball up and released Atta, who cut inside the box and shot from a tight angle but the ball went narrowly wide.
In the 25th minute, after a set piece from the right, Bertola’s header struck Dumfries’ arm. Following a VAR review, a penalty was awarded. Davies converted coolly to make it 1–1.
In the 40th minute, Ehizibue combined with Davies, who turned and found Atta. Driving at Inter’s defence, Atta cut inside and curled a brilliant strike past Sommer to complete the turnaround.
After half-time, Udinese dropped their wing-backs into full-backs, sitting much deeper. Inter, now chasing the game, committed players forward.
In the 56th minute, a deflected ball fell to Sučić, who nodded it on to Thuram. The striker laid it off to Dimarco, who unleashed a first-time trivela finish but, after a VAR review, Thuram was ruled offside.
Embed from Getty ImagesBarely five minutes later, in the 61st minute, Davies picked up possession on the left, shrugged off Sučić and surged forward. Facing Acerbi, he executed a sharp step-over, leaving the defender off balance, before dragging his shot just wide of the post. It was nearly a spectacular solo goal.
In the 69th minute, Inter produced a barrage of chances. Dimarco volleyed first time but was blocked by a defender’s header. Thuram’s follow-up fell loose for Bisseck, whose strike drew a stunning save from Sava. Even on the ground, Bisseck tried again but was denied, before Dumfries’ effort was blocked and finally Barella blazed over the bar.
Udinese produced an outstanding performance, defending bravely and pressing Inter’s build-up effectively. Inter, meanwhile, continued to struggle against compact opponents just as they had at the Club World Cup. Chivu’s tactical approach so far has resembled Fernando Hierro’s Spain in the 2018 World Cup: an imitation of ideas without a clear grasp of their underlying purpose.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Israel Schmidt de Azevedo
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