Inter Milan Shatters Records With Italian Super Cup Win Over Napoli

On January 22, 2024, an exciting football match took place between SSC Napoli and FC Internazionale in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After a well-fought game, Lautaro Martinez of FC Internazionale proudly lifted the trophy as they emerged victorious during the Italian EA Sports FC Supercup Final. The celebrations were captured in a memorable photograph taken by Mattia Ozbot - Inter/Inter via Getty Images.

Lautaro Martinez was destined to be the hero of the match as he scored the winning goal for Inter Milan in the Italian Super Cup final against Napoli. The team captain's 21st goal of the season, thanks to Benjamin Pavard's assist, secured Inter Milan's third consecutive Super Cup victory. This win is just the beginning for coach Simone Inzaghi, as he sets his sights on winning three more trophies, including the Serie A title and UEFA EFA Champions League in 2023-24.

There was a lot of confusion at Al-Awaal Park when Geovanni Simeone from Napoli was told to leave the game because he had fouled Francesco Acerbi and already had a warning. With the match still up for grabs and Inter putting on a lot of pressure, Martinez finally found himself with a chance to score at the 91st minute and took it. He now shares the second place title for the most goals in Super Cup history with Samuel Eto'o, Andriy Shevchenko, Carlos Tevez, and Alessandro Del Piero, all with three goals, only one goal behind Paolo Dybala.

Simone Inzaghi Trophy: A Tribute

Inzaghi has achieved an impressive feat by surpassing Italian football legends Fabio Capello and Marcello Lippi in terms of Supercoppa wins. During his coaching tenure with Lazio, the 47-year-old has claimed five out of the past seven titles. In addition, Inzaghi has broken another record by triumphing in his fifth final at Inter, which puts him ahead of Helenio Herrera and Roberto Mancini, who both managed four wins.

According to Inzaghi in an interview with Mediaset, there's no magic formula for success - all you need is a solid team. He's been fortunate to have great teams in both Inter and Lazio. Inzaghi had some optimism going into the big Final, but it was tempered by the fact that usually, you have a lot more time to prepare. However, due to certain circumstances, they didn't have that luxury this time around.

Inzaghi, who used to be a striker and is famous for his 70 goals in Serie A, played a crucial role in Lazio's victory in the 2000 Super Cup Final against Inter. This victory was led by Sven-Göran Eriksson and was against Marcello Lippi's team. After retiring from his football career in 2010, he became a manager for Lazio in 2016. He won his first two Super Cups in 2017 and 2019 by defeating Juventus both times.

The Lazio striker Simone Inzaghi expressed his joy after successfully scoring a goal during a Group D match of the Champion's League against Olympique de Marseille on March 14, 2000 at Rome's Olympic Stadium. An electronic image captured this memorable moment. The photo credit for this image is attributed to GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images.

After Antonio Conte left the team in 2021, Inzaghi joined Beneamata and has won all three Super Cups available since then, equaling the record set by AC Milan from 1992 to 1994. Inter's eighth title was secured with the three-peat, surpassing Rossoneri's seven titles but remaining one behind Juventus.

Saudi Arabia Controversy

During the first half of the match, Referee Antonio Rapuano faced criticism for not showing Inter player Hakan Calhanoglu multiple yellow cards. This angered Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and manager Walter Mazzarri. In the second half, Rapuano showed two yellow cards to Simeone in quick succession while Napoli began to improve their performance. However, the game soon turned into a back and forth battle as Inter tried to outmaneuver Napoli's defenses. Despite the team's frustrating loss, Mazzarri refused to attend the press conference after the game. As a result, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis spoke on behalf of the team. Additionally, it's important to note that any yellow or red cards received in this game will carry over to the upcoming Serie A season.

De Laurentiis spoke to Corriere dello Sport and shared his thoughts on the poor performance of the referees this year, which was evident. He expressed disappointment that the purpose of promoting their football and providing entertainment was defeated if the referees kept sending off players. Additionally, he believed that any yellow cards or expulsions given would affect the outcome of the championship and create unfair competition for some teams.

The person in charge of making movies has frequently expressed dissatisfaction with the officials in Italy and has never hesitated to demonstrate his disapproval, regardless of whether the situation benefits or harms his group.

Sadly, the League is not functioning properly and is causing its own downfall. Additionally, they have made alterations to the rules resulting in us being responsible for any and all disciplinary actions during the tournament.

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 22, 2024, President Aurelio De Laurentiis of SSC Napoli was spotted observing the Italian EA Sports FC Supercup Final match against FC Internazionale at Al-Awwal Stadium. The event was captured in a photo taken by Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Images via Getty Images.

After beating Fiorentina 3-0 in the semi-finals, De Laurentiis wanted to motivate his team to win the Final, which was their best chance to win a trophy in the 2023-24 season. He offered bonus incentives to his players. The prize money for winning the Final was $8.73M, enough to pay Antonio Conte for next season. Unfortunately, Napoli lost the Final, so they only received $5.46M as runners-up instead of an extra $3.27M. Before the Final, Napoli had won two games in a row against Salernitana and Fiorentina. This was their best chance to win three consecutive games since March 2023 when Luciano Spalletti was coach.

Spalletti, who successfully guided Inter Milan to qualify for the Champions League after a six-year absence, and later helped Napoli win their third Serie A title in 2023, traveled to Riyadh to keep an eye on potential players for his Italy team ahead of the Euro 2024 tournament. Meanwhile, his predecessor Roberto Mancini, who left his position as Italy's head coach in August to take up the job in Saudi Arabia, is currently in Qatar, managing the Green Falcons at the AFC Asian Cup.

Throughout the last ten years, Inter and Napoli have experienced a speedy advancement, frequently connecting with leading coaches such as Spalletti, Mazzarri, and Rafa Benitez who have moved back and forth between the two teams. Since Napoli has gradually progressed, placing in the Serie A top four for a total of seven times, individuals like Conte, a former Inter manager, are more inclined to bargain with De Laurentiis who is acknowledged for his crafty business smarts.

Currently, Napoli's temporary coach Mazzarri is receiving praise for reigniting the team's competitive drive. As they gear up for a crucial match against Lazio this weekend, followed by a trip to play against Milan in third place, the question remains whether Mazzarri will continue to use his untested 3-4-2-1 formation. The availability of Victor Osimhen and Frank Anguissa may also be impacted by their involvement in the upcoming AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) tournament with Nigeria and Cameroon. Everything rests on these factors.

Regarding the competition for the title, Inzaghi - who was a nominee for the recent Best FIFA Awards in London - is preparing for an important game against Florence in a few days. The following week, there will be a highly anticipated match against Juventus, who moved up to first place in Serie A last Sunday. It's clear that Inter and Juventus, Italy's two prominent clubs, will be battling it out for the Scudetto. If Inter succeeds, they could tie Juve's historical record, making for an exciting Derby d'Italia in the next Super Cup Final season.