Genoa 0 : 1 Inter Milan - Nagamoto strike enough for Inter

Posted Tuesday, December 13, 2011 by PA

Japan international Yuto Nagatomo scored the only goal of the game midway through the second half as Inter Milan continued thier mid-season revival under Claudio Ranieri with an impressive 1-0 win at Genoa.

The Nerazzurri moved into seventh place in the Serie A standings thanks to the triumph at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, with the win coming hot on the heels of a 2-0 win over Fiorentina at the weekend.

They leapfrogged their hosts as a result, and have now won four of their last five domestic outings, putting them 10 points behind leaders Juventus.

Owing to the lead the Turin club held over Inter, this match was a must-win tussle if Ranieri harboured any genuine title ambitions, and his players suggested they knew as much in a high-octane start that saw Andrea Poli and Diego Milito go close.

Kakha Kaladze whistled one over for a Genoa side looking to build on a 2-0 win at Siena last time out, before Marco Faraoni went close to putting Inter ahead with a crisp left-footed drive.

Poli and Walter Samuel then failed to find the net as the chances continued to present themselves, and even when they did hit the target through Milito and Thiago Motto, they found Sebastian Frey in fine form in the Rossoblu goal.

Milito led the charge at the start of the second half, firing wide, but when it seemed as though Alberto Malesani's men had ridden the storm, Inter struck in the 67th minute when Nagatomo got his head on a Riccardo Alvarez cross.

With their noses in front, Inter pressed for a second, with Frey denying Giampaolo Pazzini who then drilled wide, while Alvarez slammed a shot from the edge of the box into the base of Frey's post.

Diego Forlan then worked Frey as the home side clung to a narrow deficit. Even though Genoa summoned a late chance through Miguel Veloso, they were unable to find a way back to level terms.