Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez were back in business on Serie A return marking their restart with a 2-1 win against Sampdoria
Lukaku and Martinez’s strike partnership didn’t lose any of its potency during the football shutdown. Both got on the scoresheet as Inter Milan edged Sampdoria on Sunday.
The clash saw Serie A return to the San Siro after more than three months following coronavirus strike. Lukaku took 10 minutes to get ongoing. The striker showed no sign of rust as he tapped in following a classy one-two with Christian Eriksen.
The Belgian produced a powerful image in his celebration, kneeling to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement as he scored in a league that has struggled with the racist incidents this season.
Lautaro Martinez bagged his close-range strike in the 33rd minute before Morten Thorsby bundled in from a corner in the 52nd to bring Antonio Conte back to the very edge of his technical area ahead of a tight finish.
Sampdoria pushed an equalizer and pushed Inter onto the back foot. But the hosts held out to move within five points of Juventus.
The League leaders restart their season on Monday with a trip to Bologna, while second-placed Lazio faces Atalanta in a tight matchup on Wednesday.
Inter Milan fell off the pace before lockdown with a string of poor results. Included was the 1-1 draw with strugglers Lecce and defeats to both of their title rivals.
Nonetheless, the 2-1 win against Sampdoria means Inter are third with 57 points, six behind leaders Juventus.