MILAN: Inter Milan clinched a hard-fought 1-0 home victory over Venezia when a second-half header from Lautaro Martinez proved enough to secure the Serie A clash on Sunday.
Inter are now in second place in the table with 24 points, one behind leaders Napoli, while Venezia are 18th.
Captain Martinez finally broke Venezia's defence after 65 minutes, expertly heading in Federico Dimarco's precise cross for the breakthrough.
Inter had opportunities to extend their lead but narrow margins and impressive saves from Venezia's keeper Filip Stankovic kept the scoreline intact.
San Siro fans held their breath as Marin Sverko headed in an equaliser for the visitors in the dying seconds of stoppage time but a VAR review revealed a handball and the goal was disallowed, preserving Inter's victory. - REUTERS