Icardi at double as Inter stage late show

Milan (AFP) – Mauro Icardi struck a late brace including one from the spot as crisis-hit Inter Milan handed their coach-in-waiting a boost with a 3-0 win over basement side Crotone on Sunday.

Inter have been rudderless since Frank De Boer’s sacking as coach last week after a fifth reverse of the season, away to Sampdoria, left them 13 points adrift of leaders Juventus.

But as the Serie A giants wait to appoint one of the three coaches they interviewed on Friday — Stefano Pioli, Marcelino Garcia Toral and Gianfranco Zola — Inter’s youth team coach Stefano Vecchi took the helm for his maiden league game.

Inter dominated throughout but failed to find a way past Crotone ‘keeper Alex Cordaz until six minutes from the end when Croatia midfielder Ivan Perisic broke the deadlock.

Icardi was the provider with a long ball from midfield that Perisic controlled well before sweeping past the ‘keeper at his far post.

Icardi won a penalty minutes later when he was manhandled in the box and gave Cordaz no chance with an incisive shot into the bottom left corner.

The Argentine secured his brace in the third minute of injury time when he swept Eder’s cross from deep on the right past Cordaz first-time from the edge of the box.

It was Icardi’s 10th league goal of the season and pulled him level with Roma striker Edin Dzeko, who will be looking to boost his account later Sunday at home to Bologna.

“I’m happy to have scored, but I’m just doing my job, I’m a striker,” Icardi told Sky Sport.

“We came close on several occasions. It was crucial for us to win ahead of the international break.”

Inter, watched throughout by the club’s Chinese owners Suning, claimed only their second win in their last seven games to move up to provisional ninth place although they are still 13 points adrift of Juve.

The club published a statement earlier Sunday saying a coach would be “appointed within 48 hours”.

Despite their disastrous start to a season in which they had hoped to be challenging Juventus for domestic honours, Icardi said the new coach would discover a squad “filled with great, young guys” who still had room for improvement.

“Sometimes we’re not clinical enough on the pitch, and during training, and this is something we obviously have to improve.”