Former Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer had a nervy start on his return to the San Siro, having to be alert to efforts from Andy Diouf and Lautaro Martinez either side, while watching helplessly as Marcus Thuram poked a shot across goal and inches wide.
Club Brugge managed to relieve the pressure on their ‘keeper, but a blocked Hans Vanaken shot was all they created until the 26th minute, when a corner ricocheted around the Inter box before dropping to Nicolo Tresoldi, who clattered the ball against the angle of post and bar.
The next few minutes showed the importance of getting tackles right inside the box, as Piotr Zielinski was played through on goal but was denied a strike by an outstanding Hugo Vetlesen recovery.
From the resulting corner, Carlos Forbs broke away from the edge of his own box and continued his sprint into the Nerazzurri area, where he was brought down by Hakan Calhanoglu.
Tresoldi took the spot kick, and this time he kept his effort low enough to find the top corner. Calhanoglu twice thought he had atoned, but the midfielder’s 18-yard strike thumped the crossbar before his wicked free-kick was headed home by Martinez, but with the Argentinian in an offside position.
Inter looked to be heading into the break behind when Sommer clutched Alessandro Bastoni’s header, but Federico Dimarco helped a Thuram ball from the left into the box, where Martinez used his strength to win the duel and fire past Sommer.
Sommer then made a world-class save to stop Martinez, who sat the goalkeeper down with a dummy, only to be denied by the Swiss’ foot as Sommer sprang back up.
Inter remained on top as Dimarco sent a cushioned volley over the top, only for the Serie A champions to be hit with a sucker-punch, as Forbs beat goalkeeper Josep Martinez to a long ball forward, before Tresoldi picked up the loose ball and rolled it into the empty net.
Jan Virgili struck the inside of the post, but the visitors were not to be denied, as four minutes later Forbs’ strike was parried by Martinez and Tresoldi bundled in the rebound to complete his hat-trick.
The Belgian side were not over the line yet, though, as Inter proved with a carbon copy in the final 10 minutes, when Petar Sucic’s effort was saved, and Martinez turned in the rebound.
Inter rallied late on, but Sommer clutched efforts from Diouf and Martinez before Brugge took advantage of the hosts’ high line, and Forbs sent Romeo Vermant clean through to seal his side’s eighth win over Italian opposition, while Inter fell at home to a Belgian team for the first time in 56 years despite a fine individual effort in added time from Ange-Yoan Bonny, who cut inside from the left and curled past Sommer.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nicolo Tresoldi (Club Brugge)
