Inter Milan were able to get a crucial win over Sampdoria despite not having Mauro Icardi in the line-up. The striker was watching from the stands, as Inter were able to claim a late victory in a thrilling match on Sunday. Danilo D’Ambrosio and Radja Nainggolan came up with the goals for Inter in a very thrilling encounter but it could have been very different had it not been for the latter’s late winner, as Manolo Gabbiadini had come up with an equaliser for Sampdoria. The victory moved Inter Milan to a strong position of a four-point advantage over rivals AC Milan – even if they remain in the third place.
Ahead of the match, the headlines were created by Mauro Icardi, whose captaincy was taken away due to a lack of agreement over contract issues. The striker has also pulled out of the squad that will take on rapid Vienna in the Europa League. He had been withdrawn from the match against Sampdoria citing a knee injury. The player had been linked with a move away from Inter even as early as in January especially with Chelsea interested in his services. However, serious interest did not materialise. Manager Luciano Spalletti said that the talks are ongoing in order to get Icardi back into the team by doing away with the contract stand-off.
“I really appreciated that Icardi came to the stadium but I would have appreciated it even more if he had come into the dressing room afterward to celebrate with his teammates. To get back to normal there are more steps to be made, more efforts. Icardi has to experience with the team the happiness of being part of this group,” said Spalletti after the match. Mauro Icardi has been in decent form this season and the 25-year-old has been able to come up with nine goals in 18 starts in the league.