RIYADH: The Supercoppa Italiana, and bragging rights, went to Inter. In front of a crowd of just over 51,000 at King Fahd International Stadium, the Italian cup holders defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0 to lift the third showpiece final to be played in the Kingdom.
This was no mid-season, warm-weather friendly. For a start, the temperature inside King Fahd International Stardom had dipped to chilly 9C and, more importantly, no derby match between these two city rivals is ever anything less than fiercely contested, and certainly not when the first trophy of the season is on the line.
The teams came into the match with Milan second in the Serie A standings on 38 points, a hefty nine behind leaders Napoli, while Inter are in fourth on 37 points, behind Juventus on goal difference.
Inter started on the front foot and free-kick from promising position after four minutes was struck straight at the defensive wall by World Cup winner Lautaro Martinez.