Inter Milan dispatched Napoli 2-1 at the San Siro after a frenetic match which made up for its utter lack of quality with heaping dollops of excitement, especially in a second half which saw the visitors open up the game to throw everything forward in search of an equaliser which somehow never came.
Inter Milan vs. Napoli: Final score 2-1, Inter go second with win
Dino Panato
Napoli started out on the back foot, with Inter controlling the midfield, and the Nerazzuri quickly took advantage. It took just eight minutes for Fredy Guarin to open the scoring when he smashed a corner past Morgan de Sanctis. Although conceding was a wake-up slap for the visitors, who suddenly looked far more imposing, it didn't stop them from going further behind when Diego Milito picked up a half-clearance, breezed through a hilariously slack Partenopei back line, and slotted in for a 2-0 lead.
Milito's goal came in the 39th minute, and from that point forward it's fairly safe to say that Napoli dominated, despite Antonio Cassano rattling the post early in the second half. Edinson Cavani halved the deficit after a scramble along Samir Handanovic's line which saw Goran Pandev's shot saved and Christian Maggio hit the crossbar.
The visitors pushed hard for the equaliser late on, and Alvaro Perreira nearly managed to turn an Edinson Cavani cross into his own net (with his hand, no less), but ultimately they couldn’t find that killer final ball they needed, allowing Inter to close out the game -- and leapfrog their opponents into second place.
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