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Lukaku scored twice in Inter’s emphatic win over Empoli
Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku was in exceptional form for Inter scoring twice and assisting another as the Nerazzurri cruised to a 3-0 win over Empoli in Serie A to put pressure on Milan and Roma in the race for top four.
Lukaku, who just had his Coppa Italia ban overturned, showed exactly why Inter fought to get him reinstated for the semifinal second-leg match against Juventus on Thursday with his first brace of the season against 15th-place Empoli.
Inter executed a flawless game plan to secure their first win in six Serie A games.
Prior to the Empoli game, Inter were on a wretched patch of form that had seen them lose three and draw two of their last five games in the league despite two impressive showings in the UEFA Champions League that saw them reach the semifinals after a convincing aggregate win over Benfica.
How it happened
Empoli made Inter work for the win and the Nerazzurri did not take the lead until the second half when Lukaku scored three minutes after the restart.
Up to that point, they had not gotten a shot on target and the performance that followed suggests a half time blow drier from manager Simone Inzaghi.
Inter scored two more goals before the end of the second half, first through Lukaku again who netted his 5th league goal of the 2022/23 season with an angled drive from the edge of the area.
Not satisfied with his brace, Lukaku then added an assist for Inter, setting up Lautaro Martinez in the 88th minute to put the icing on the cake for the Nerazzurri.
The win leaves Inter fifth on the Serie A table with 54 points, one more than AC Milan who have played a game less, and two below Roma in fourth place.
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