Lautaro scores late to help Inter beat 10-man Napoli 1-0 and lift Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia

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Lautaro Martínez scored in second-half stoppage time and Inter Milan beat Napoli 1-0 in the Italian Super Cup final on Monday to lift the first trophy of the season, although both the player and the team have loftier ambitions for the rest of the campaign, according to AP.

It was Inter’s third straight Italian Super Cup victory although the first in its revamped format. It used to be a one-off match between the Serie A champion and the Italian Cup winner but now includes the runners-up from both competitions.

The final ended up being between the two winners as Serie A champion Napoli beat Fiorentina in their semifinal, while Italian Cup winner Inter defeated Lazio.

Inter’s attention will now turn to more substantial matters, having fallen a point behind new Serie A leader Juventus, which has played a match more because of the Nerazzurri’s time in Saudi Arabia.

Inter is also through to the Champions League last 16, where it will face Atlético Madrid. It finished runner-up in that competition last year.

Lautaro, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022, is also chasing the top goalscorer award in Serie A and leads with 18 goals in as many appearances.

For Napoli it was the most realistic chance of winning a trophy. Out of the Italian Cup and trailing Juventus by 21 points in the league, Napoli plays Barcelona in the Champions League.

It could also have been one of the last matches for coach Walter Mazzarri, with reports Napoli is set to meet with José Mourinho this week after the Portuguese coach was fired by Roma.

Sport