Inter vs Arsenal Review
Inter achieved a slim 1-0 win against Arsenal at the Giuseppe Meazza in the UEFA Champions League. This defeat extended Inter’s unbeaten streak to nine games. Despite making several changes to their lineup in preparation for an important match against Napoli this weekend, Inter came close to scoring within the first two minutes when Denzel Dumfries hit the crossbar with a shot.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu also narrowly missed with a long-range attempt shortly after, putting Arsenal on the defensive. However, the Gunners started to find their rhythm in the first half, with Bukayo Saka’s shot being saved by Yann Sommer. Just when it seemed they would go into halftime unscathed, they conceded a penalty due to Mikel Merino’s handball. Çalhanoğlu converted the penalty, marking his 19th consecutive successful spot-kick, and giving Inter a lead at halftime.
Arsenal sought to equalize early in the second half, with Gabriel Martinelli’s left-footed shot hitting the side-netting and Dumfries clearing a corner from Saka off the line. Kai Havertz then attempted a curling shot aimed for the top corner, but Sommer managed to tip it over the bar. Shortly after the hour mark, Inter brought on substitutes like Marcus Thuram and Nicolò Barella. Despite this, Arsenal continued to control the game, although Havertz’s shot was expertly blocked by Yann Bisseck.
However, the visitors struggled to create significant scoring opportunities, allowing Inter to secure their fourth consecutive clean sheet in the Champions League and maintain an impressive unbeaten record in the group stage (3 wins, 1 draw). Consequently, Arsenal’s unbeaten streak came to an end after conceding their first goal in the tournament, and they have now gone five Champions League matches in Italy without scoring.
