Rotterdam, Nov 4 (IANS) Inter Milan returned to winning ways in the UEFA Champions League with a convincing 3-0 victory over Feyenoord in Rotterdam, as England international Djed Spence played a decisive role in helping the Italian side revive their European campaign.
The victory provided a timely response to Inter’s disappointing 3-1 defeat against city rivals AC Milan in Serie A, which had ended their unbeaten domestic start. Having struggled to make an impact in their opening European fixtures, the visitors produced a far more assured display at De Kuip, combining attacking efficiency with defensive discipline.
Inter needed just eight minutes to break the deadlock. Spence initiated the move by setting up Yann Bisseck, who created space for himself outside the penalty area before unleashing a superb curling effort that flew beyond goalkeeper Tjark Ernst.
Feyenoord struggled to cope with Inter’s aggressive pressing and found it difficult to establish any rhythm in possession. Their first meaningful opportunity arrived around the half-hour mark when Anis Hadj Moussa was played through following a neat exchange, but his attempt was blocked.
The hosts were punished for their inability to convert their limited opportunities when Inter struck again in the 34th minute. Spence was once more involved, with his attempt taking a deflection and falling into the path of Pio Esposito, who reacted quickly to head home from close range.
Feyenoord’s hopes of mounting a comeback suffered another setback shortly after the restart. With the home defence allowing too much space outside the box, Piotr Zielinski advanced into a shooting position and unleashed a powerful effort that struck the post before finding the net in the 54th minute.
Esposito briefly appeared to have added a fourth with a close-range finish, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
The result marked an important recovery for Inter, who moved to six points after four matches and climbed to 14th in the league-phase standings. Feyenoord, meanwhile, remained on three points in 30th place, leaving their hopes of reaching the knockout play-offs under considerable pressure.
Inter will return to European action against Stuttgart on November 25, while Feyenoord host Porto a day earlier.
–IANS
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