Federico Dimarco scored with a stunning lob from over 50 metres and Hakan Calhanoglu netted a penalty as Inter Milan reclaimed top spot in Serie A with a 2-0 home win over Frosinone on Sunday night.
Inter broke the deadlock two minutes before halftime as Dimarco surged past the halfway line on the left flank and let fly with a looping effort that sailed over Frosinone keeper Stefano Turati, who had ventured off his line.
Dimarco ran onto a pass from Henrikh Mkhitaryan by the far left touchline and looked set to run down the wing in a bid to lead an Inter counter-attack. However, the defender instead unleashed a powerful first-time left-footed strike that completely caught the Frosinone goalkeeper off guard and landed in the back of the net.
The wonder strike sent the home fans into frenzy at San Siro while Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer celebrated the goal in disbelief.
It was definitely a Puskas Award contender from the 26-year-old full-back, who opened the scoring in the 43rd minute of the match before Hakan Calhanoglu doubled Inter’s lead in the 48th minute from the penalty spot.
There was some suggestion that Dimarco was attempting to pass rather than shoot for Inter’s opener, but he set the record straight after the final whistle. “Did I want to shoot? Yes,” he told DAZN.
“At the beginning I saw Denzel [Dumfries] but then I saw the goalkeeper outside and luckily it went in, otherwise I would have received a lot of insults. It’s one of the best goals of my career.”
Dimarco is being closely linked with a move to Manchester United in January, and it’s not hard to see why after his latest performance. While Erik ten Hag is keen on signing the defender, the club may have to pay around £50 million ($61m) to convince the Serie A giants to sell him.