(PRIMASPORT) BARI – English defender John Stones, newly arrived at the Nerazzurri, made his mark on Inter's victory over Real Betis. At the San Nicola stadium in Bari, in his first outing with his new teammates, Stones showed how he made a difference in a match dominated by Chivu's team, much more than the 1-0 final scoreline suggests. Inter created numerous scoring opportunities, with Lautaro Redondo reuniting with Stones after the England-Argentina match at the recent World Cup.
The first half featured Barella and Diouf alongside Calhanoglu, while Dimarco excelled in the second half. Against Manuel Pellegrini's Betis 4-2-3-1, Inter started up front with the Esposito-Bonny pairing, with Calhanoglu in midfield alongside Barella and Zielinski, and the young Leonardo Bovio playing between Bisseck and Bastoni. Chivu's team produced the offensive phase, exploiting mainly the right flank, while Betis remained entangled in Inter's maneuvers, relying on counterattacks. Despite the intense play and their clear superiority, Inter went into the break with the score tied at 0-0.
In the second half, Chivu brought on Sucic, Akanji, and Dimarco for Calhanoglu, Bovio, and Carlos Augusto. The Nerazzurri continued to attack, and Bonny saw two shots blocked by the Spanish goalkeeper. After fifteen minutes, Chivu also brought on Pavard, Provedel, Mkhitaryan, and Luis Henrique. Toward the end of the match, captain Lautaro Martinez was brought on, along with Stankovic and John Stones, who was wearing his new number 6 jersey for the first time. The decisive move came in the 37th minute when Dimarco kicked a free kick from the left, with Pavard acting as a tower towards the center of the area at the far post, where Stones unleashed a superb turn: nothing could be done by Manu Gonzalez.
“"I'm really happy to have scored this goal, especially because it doesn't happen to me often," John Stones told Inter TV. "Wearing the Nerazzurri shirt and scoring this goal is special. The team's performance was very positive, everyone worked incredibly hard, and I'm happy I was able to give them a deserved victory. This is a special team, and I'm proud to be a part of it. We want to write new chapters in history. Serie A is tough, there are many strong teams fighting for Champions League spots: I'm excited for this challenge and I want to experience a new style of play that I'm not used to. I think Akanji is a fantastic person, humble and genuine, just like he is on the pitch: he's a world-class player, I was lucky to share the dressing room with him for three years at City, and now to have him back here.". (PRIMASPORT)
