Inter hit 6 at Lazio, inch closer to top of Serie A

Defending champions Inter Milan stormed to a 6-0 win at Lazio in Serie A on Monday with quick-fire goals either side of halftime.

Hakan Calhanoglu put Inter in front from the spot in the 41st minute, after a penalty award for handball, and Federico Dimarco doubled the lead before the break with a volley.

Nicolo Barella slotted home to make it 3-0 six minutes after the restart before Denzel Dumfries netted two minutes later and Carlos Augusto and Marcus Thuram completed the rout late on.

Inter remain third in the standings with 34 points from 15 matches and trail leaders Atalanta by three points with a game in hand. Lazio are fifth on 31 from 16 matches.

Lazio were the best side in the opening 30 minutes, although Inter defender Stefan de Vrij thought he had opened the scoring after a rebound only to see his effort ruled out for offside.

However, Inter were awarded a penalty minutes later after a lengthy VAR review showed defender Samuel Gigot stopped the ball with his arm from Dumfries initial attempt in the same move.

Calhanoglu converted to give the visitors the lead and Inter grew in confidence, with Dimarco firing inside the far post to quickly double their advantage.

Lazio, who are top of the Europa League table, continued to look shell-shocked after the break and Barella increased Inter's lead with a powerful shot that went just under the bar, leaving Lazio keeper Ivan Provedel with no chance.

Inter, who on Tuesday suffered a last-gasp 1-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, were soon 4-0 up through Dumfries, who netted with a towering header from a delightful cross by Alessandro Bastoni.

Substitute Augusto then scored from close range after 77 minutes shortly before Thuram dribbled past two defenders to add a sixth goal in the 90th.

Inter now have 47 goals on the road in Serie A in 2024, a club record for away goals in a calendar year in the top flight.