Online Reporter
GENOA and Inter Milan fans clashed in shocking scenes with police forced to rush in on Sunday.
The Serie A duo were facing each other at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium – but ahead of the game issues kicked off between both set of supporters with vehicles set on FIRE.
Videos online show a number of police riot vans and flames coming out of what appears to be a vehicle as the authorities looked to calm down the situation on the streets.
Reports coming out of Sky Sports Italy suggested that some Genoa fans threw objects at Inter Milan fans positioned in a designated area.
This caused a reaction from the ultras of the away side as they allegedly forced gates to confront the opposition support.
This sparked a first clash between the two groups with police trying to intervene and restore peace ahead of the top flight showdown.
However, the same publication stated that further clashes then broke out between the police and Rossoblu ultras with rubbish containers set on fire and a van catching flames.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan moved to the top of Serie A with a 2-1 victory at Genoa thanks to first-half goals from Yann Bisseck and Lautaro Martinez.
The result put Inter on 33 points, one ahead of city rivals AC Milan and two ahead of Napoli in third. Genoa are 16th with 14 points.
The match was preceded by unrest outside the stadium as supporters of both teams clashed, with several vehicles set on fire before police restored order. The incident did not delay kickoff.
Inter came into the match in a strong position after Milan were held to a draw against Sassuolo and Napoli lost at Udinese earlier on Sunday.
Inter needed only six minutes to take the lead, as defender Bisseck fired a low effort into the near bottom corner.
Martinez doubled Inter’s advantage in the 38th minute, powering his way into the area before driving an angled finish into the net.
Genoa improved in the second half and pulled one back in the 68th minute when Vitinha rounded Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer and rolled the ball in.
Play was briefly halted when yellow smoke filled the stadium after a flare was thrown onto the pitch. After play resumed, Inter held on to seal the win.
“It means a lot. We’ve taken the top spot because we worked hard and knew how to endure,” Martinez told DAZN.
“It’s been years that people have talked about Inter because we’ve been doing well. We are aware of our strength and we want to keep Inter at the top. That’s our objective and that’s the message in the locker room.” – Sun/Reuters
