Inter Milan hosted Hellas Verona at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in the 35th round of Serie A and secured a narrow 1-0 victory. With this win, Inter reached 74 points, still three points behind league leaders Napoli. Simone Inzaghi’s side, preparing for their crucial Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, approached this match with high motivation.

The first half began with Verona adopting a compact defensive approach, aiming to neutralize Inter’s attacks. The Nerazzurri, fielding a rotated lineup due to their upcoming Champions League fixture, dominated possession from the outset. In the 7th minute, Carlos Augusto combined with Marko Arnautović to deliver a cross into the box, which deflected off Nicolas Valentini.

After a VAR review, referee Gianluca Manganiello awarded a penalty, and Hakan Calhanoglu confidently converted in the 9th minute, sending goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò the wrong way to give Inter a 1-0 lead.

Verona, struggling for goals this season, created their best chance in the 16th minute. Amin Sarr held up play well in midfield, releasing Jackson Tchatchoua on the right. Tchatchoua’s precise pass found Sarr in the box, but his powerful shot was well saved by Inter goalkeeper José Martínez.

Inter responded with a quick passing move in the 19th minute, involving Davide Frattesi, Joaquín Correa, and Arnautović, but Correa was flagged offside. The game slowed down afterward, with Inter controlling possession but failing to create clear chances. Arnautović, celebrating his 100th Serie A appearance, headed wide from a Darmian cross in the 31st minute.

Nikola Zalewski nearly stunned the crowd with a long-range effort in the 44th minute, but his curling shot landed on the roof of the net.

Inter continued to dominate possession in the second half but created few clear opportunities. Verona attempted counterattacks but struggled to break down Inter’s solid defense. In the 46th minute, Sarr’s long-range effort was comfortably saved by Martínez.

As the game approached the 70th minute, Verona made attacking substitutions, bringing on Daniel Moscardelli and Antoine Bernède for Sarr and Thomas Suslov. Inzaghi responded by introducing Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Federico Dimarco for Piotr Zieliński and Yann Bisseck. In the 71st minute, Ondrej Duda received a yellow card for a rough challenge on Correa, sparking brief tensions between the players.

Mehdi Taremi, who started on the bench, replaced Arnautović in the 77th minute but failed to create any significant chances. Inter managed the game well in the closing stages, denying Verona any late opportunities. With 74% possession in the second half, Inter demonstrated their ability to control the game even with a rotated squad.

This victory boosts Inter’s morale ahead of their crucial Champions League clash against Barcelona and highlights Inzaghi’s effective squad rotation strategy.

Hakan Calhanoglu’s confident penalty in the 9th minute, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, proved to be the decisive moment in Inter’s 1-0 victory over Hellas Verona.