Romelu Lukaku is such a fantastic player at Inter Milan. The striker scored twice in the match against Genoa to finish 2019 top of Serie A.
Inter hosted Genoa in what seemed to be a tricky game just before Christmas and the New Year break.
Any mistakes meant their rivals, Juventus would have command and breathing space at the top of Serie A. But Lukaku and Sebastiano had other ideas.
The last time Inter Milan topped the table at Christmas was in 2015. They only won one of their next 21 games to finish fourth, 24 points behind Juventus.
But this season, issues have changed for Inter Milan. The club is at the leading top of the Serie A with 42 points.
Despite leading with the better goal difference, if teams finish the season level on points, the head-to-head rule is used.
Lukaku placed Antonio Conte’s side in the lead with a header. Thereafter, Roberto Gagliardini made it 2-0 moments later.
As the match progressed, Lukaku let Sebastiano Esposito take a penalty. The 17-year-old scored to put Inter Milan 3-0 up.
The Belgian thrashed his second into the top corner and placed the game beyond doubt. This marked his 11th goal in Inter Milan.
The Nerazzurri who appointed Conte in the summer has not won a trophy since the 2011 Coppa Italia.
The win was a relief for Inter Milan who had drawn in their last two league matches. Additionally, the club had been knocked out of the Champions League with a home defeat by Barcelona in between.
Genoa ranks as the 19th in the Serie A table. The club mustered their first shot on target on the hour when Antonio Sanabria’s low shot was turned around the foot of the post by Samir Handanovic.
The professional display
The 26-year-old Lukaku is Inter’s first-choice spot-kick taker. But, Lukaku showed what a top professional he is by passing the ball to young Esposito.
Esposito made no mistake from the spot and went mental by celebrating with his mother. He became Inter’s second youngest ever scorer.
The rookie striker beamed with pride after the game and thanked Lukaku for the brilliant gesture.
He said, “I found myself in sync with Romelu right away, he is a fantastic person who is always looking to help me.”
“He reassured me a lot by saying that everything would go alright. I’m so happy to have scored.”
“It’s been a fantastic week, I can’t lie. I didn’t sleep a lot thinking about his game would go. I’d like to thank the team, the coach, the club and Romelu especially for the goal.”
“He is a fantastic person and an extraordinary player. He told me to be sure of myself when I stepped up to strike the ball and to score.”