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Late Mauro Zarate strike earns Inter 3-2 win over CSKA Moscow

27 September 2011 21:49 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Substitute Mauro Zarate powered home a late winner to give Inter Milan a precious 3-2 away win over CSKA Moscow in the Champions League on Tuesday, APA reports quoting RIA Novosti.

Zarate struck 11 minutes from time, collecting a long pass and turning CSKA defender Sergei Ignashevich to fire into the corner from the edge of the box.

Lucio had put Inter ahead in the sixth minute, tapping into an empty net after Vasily Berezutsky inadvertantly flicked an Inter corner over his own goalkeeper to the back post.

Giampaolo Pazzini doubled the lead in the 23rd, smashing the ball into an unguarded net. Japanese wingback Yuto Nagatomo created the opening by nutmegging Aleksei Berezutsky down the right flank, powering into the penalty area and finding Pazzini unmarked six yards out.

Alan Dzagoev pulled one back for the hosts in first half stoppage time, curling in a free kick from 20 yards.

Vagner Love made it 2-2 on 77 minutes, turning his international teammate Lucio on the edge of the area and slotting into the near post from the edge of the area.

The win lifts Inter off the bottom of Group B after the first round of matches saw a shock defeat to Turkish minnows Trabzonspor. CSKA drop to the bottom on one point after their 2-2 draw in Lille.

It also marks the second-straight win for Inter’s new coach Claudio Ranieri, who took over from Gian Piero Gasperini on Thursday and saw his team beat Bologna 3-1 away on Saturday.

"We played really well. Our team managed to play good combinations. The players on the field understood each other, and we showed great strength of character," Ranieri said through an interpreter.

CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky said his players weren’t cold-blooded enough.

"The match was really emotional. It’s a real shame, having put so much energy into drawing level we concede such a late goal," Slutsky said. "Our defensive mistakes, unfortunately, outweighed our effectiveness in attack."

Possession-wise, Inter had the best of the first half, taking advantage of CSKA’s tendency to back off and defend deep and restricting the hosts to counterattacks.

CSKA came out in the second half with far greater intent, turning the game into an open end-to-end affair by committing numbers forward and leaving inevitable gaps at the back.

Joel Obi went close for the visitors just after they took the lead, heading Giampaolo Pazzini’s cross toward the corner for Vladimir Gabulov to smartly turn around the post.

Diego Milito and Vagner Love both had volleys miss or saved, before CSKA striker Seydou Doumbia had a strong penalty claim turned down after falling over Lucio.

CSKA’s first serious efforts on goal came on the half hour, when Dzagoev turned and struck a fierce half-volley that Julio Cesar tipped over. From Dzagoev’s resulting corner, Doumbia glanced a header off the outside of the post.

Inter captain Javier Zanetti flashed a long-range drive over, and Dzagoev was over ambitious with a scissor kick that flew too high. Lucio headed straight at Gabulov just before Dzagoev’s free kick, which flew a good two yards inside Cesar’s left-hand post.

Pavel Mamaev fired just wide as CSKA set about redressing the balance in the second half with greater conviction. Christian Chivu then charged forward for Inter and struck a long shot over.

Gabulov palmed away a turn-and-shot from Zarate as the game opened up considerably toward the hour mark.

Dzagoev struck a long drive straight at Julio Cesar on 62 minutes, before Inter countered. Zarate turned a defender but trickled his shot harmlessly to Gabulov.

Soon after Zarate broke free in the area to smash a shot at Gabulov, who parried the ball straight to Milito, but the Argentinian couldn’t bring it under control and the danger was cleared.

CSKA wasted an excellent counterattacking opportunity, and on another, Vagner Love hit a low cross right across the face of Inter’s goal that went unmet.

Inter brought in four experienced players who missed the 1-0 defeat to Trabzonspor - Walter Samuel, Cristian Chivu, Ricardo Alvarez and Diego Milito.

CSKA made two changes from the side that drew 2-2 in Lille, with Pavel Mamaev and Sekou Oliseh coming in for Aleksandrs Cauna and Zoran Tosic.