Nigerian forward Gift Orban continued his improved form with an assist, but his effort was not enough to prevent Hellas Verona from losing 2-1 to Inter Milan in a dramatic Serie A encounter at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on Sunday.
Inter, aiming to close the gap on league leaders Napoli, started brightly and broke the deadlock in the 16th minute as a well-delivered corner from Hakan Calhanoglu found Piotr Zielinski, who fired a stunning volley into the top corner to give the visitors the lead.
Verona, however, refused to give up. In the 40th minute, Orban showed his growing influence, threading a clever pass through to Giovane Nascimento, who fired a precise finish into the far corner to draw the hosts level.
Moments later, Orban nearly turned the game in Verona’s favour when he met Rafik Belghali’s cross with a right-footed strike that struck the far post, as Inter narrowly avoided conceding a second before halftime.
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Both sides pushed for a winner in the second half, with Inter introducing Nicolo Barella, Denzel Dumfries, Francesco Pio Esposito, and Federico Dimarco to inject fresh energy. Orban was substituted in the 73rd minute for Cheikh Niasse after another lively display.
Just when Verona seemed set to claim a valuable point, heartbreak struck in stoppage time as Barella’s cross into the box was inadvertently turned into his own net by Martin Frese, handing Inter a crucial late victory and keeping them firmly in the title race.
The win lifts Inter Milan to 21 points from 10 matches, just one behind leaders Napoli. Verona, meanwhile, remain winless with five draws and five losses in 10 games, leaving them 18th with five points.
Despite the defeat, Orban’s assist means he now has two goal contributions in his last three Serie A games, a decent improvement after managing just one goal in his first five league outings.
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