Inter Milan provided plenty of late drama as Marcelo Brozovic’s last-gasp goal earned them a 1-0 victory at Sampdoria in a game featuring a number of VAR controversies.
Inter struck two goals in the last five minutes to beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League on Tuesday and again left it late on Saturday as Croatia midfielder Brozovic struck the winner deep into stoppage time.
The win left Inter in seventh place with seven points from five games, five adrift of leaders Juventus who are in action on Sunday at Frosinone.
Inter coach Luciano Spalletti was under growing pressure after picking up just one win in four league games and it looked like they would suffer another disappointing day when they were twice denied the lead by video reviews.
The Milan club were left furious in the wake of their 1-0 defeat by Parma last weekend after the video assistant referee (VAR) was not consulted for a potential handball inside the box.
VAR thwarted them again when Radja Nainggolan’s first-half strike was judged to be offside in the build-up before Kwadwo Asamoah also had a goal disallowed following a review, this time because the ball went out of play.
Sampdoria then looked to have snatched the win when Gregiore Defrel found the net late on, but he too was found to be offside by VAR.
Brozovic’s late strike then prompted huge celebrations from the Inter bench and Spalletti was sent off in the melee.
“Winning this way shows the character of this team, which stays in the game fighting for every ball,” Spalletti told reporters.
“It might mean taking some risks, but we are Inter and we must always live on the edge to get the win.
“Seeing this passion gives me greater strength to go forward and I’m glad that element is here rather than the tactics, as those will come with time.”
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