MILAN: Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez struck twice as Inter Milan claimed a 2-0 win over visiting Monza in their Serie A opener on Saturday.

The hosts went ahead early after Denzel Dumfries picked out Martinez with a low cross in the seventh minute.

Inter’s starting lineup featured two debutants — forward Marcus Thuram and goalkeeper Yann Sommer — both of whom put in assured performances.

Thuram proved a handful, using his pace and power to cause problems for the Monza defence, with the French forward’s performance earning praise from Inzaghi.

As Monza continued to commit bodies forward in the second half, they were once again punished by Martinez, who slid in at the far post to turn in Arnautovic’s cross and seal the three points.

Martinez’s double ensured he kept pace with Victor Osimhen in this season’s Golden Boot race, after the Nigerian striker scored twice in defending champions Napoli’s 3-1 win over newly-promoted Frosinone.

Elsewhere, Genoa were handed a 4-1 home thrashing by Fiorentina on their return to top-flight football, with Cristiano Biraghi, Giacomo Bonav­entura, Nicolas Gonzalez and Rolando Mandragora all getting on the scoresheet..

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2023