Stevan Jovetic marked his Inter Milan debut by firing the club to a 1-0 victory over Atalanta BC in their Serie A opener this evening.
Maximiliano Moralez almost gave the visitors the perfect start when his powerful strike from inside the box headed inches over the bar.
Inter were then dealt a blow as Mauro Icardi was forced off with an injury and was replaced by Jovetic.
The visitors also suffered an injury problem, as German Denis headed off to be replaced by Mauricio Pinilla.
The Chilean striker almost made an immediate impact as he rose to meet a free kick, before placing his header over the bar.
At the end of the first half, Inter almost took the lead with their sole attempt on target, but Assane Demoya Gnoukouri saw his powerful strike saved by Marco Sportiello.
Inter looked to step up the tempo after the break and Geoffrey Kondogbia lashed in a fierce drive from the edge of the box that was pushed over by the keeper.
The Nerazzurri's hopes of claiming all three points were given a boost in the 71st minute when Carlos Carmona was shown his second yellow card in the space of five minutes and was sent off by the referee.
Inter continued to push for a winner, and in stoppage time the hosts finally made their pressure pay, as Jovetic curled a stunning strike into the far corner to ensure that they started the season with all three points.
Alex Meyers
