Hello Interfriends,

Inter have proved that there is no other team in the world quite like them. They may not have won the championship in many years but after today's match I think it is safe to say that Inter are the most exciting team in world football to say the least. They are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide reborn from a story to a football team. With a flick of a switch they turn from an ordinary mild mannered side, to a full attacking goal scoring machine.

Being down 2-0 at the 83rd minute, after a match filled with bad passing, slow play and some unlucky bounces, it seemed with minutes to go that Inter were to suffer there first loss of the season and end the undefeated streak all in a single match. Yet something happened. Martins and Recoba flicked the switch and turned Dr Jekyll into Mr. Hide and in 9 minutes scored 3 goals with Martins, Vieri and Recoba who wins the match with the 3-2 goal in stunning fashion at the 94th minute!

How many emotions can one fan support?? Well if you are an Inter fan today and saw the game you experienced everything from optimism at the start, to unlucky as the Samp keeper held Inter at bay. Maybe frustration during the second half when many passes by Inter were short or late. Or perhaps down right anger was the final emotion of the day when Samp scored the 2-0 goal at the 83rd minute.

Yet after all that, the final emotion is pure joy and excitement as Inter come back to win the match. Although they remain distant from the top, the win over Sampadoria keeps the undefeated streak alive at 29 games but also could be the moral turning point of the season for this club.

Mancini decides to bring Emre into the side to replace Van Der Meyde who was suspended for the match. Cambiasso and C. Zanetti build the wall above the defense with Materazzi and Cordoba in the center leaving out Burdisso who played midweek. Sampadoria responds with a classic 4-4-2 with Flachi as the main threat up front.

The match starts with Samp having much more energy and seems quicker on and off the ball. Inter on the other side don't look to be as flashy as they were at the start of the season but rather more concrete and disciplined with C. Zanetti and Cambiasso holding the midfield and allowing Emre and Stankovic to build from the wings.

Its easier said then done against the well organized and fit Samp team. Inter cannot find a way to match there speed and play at a slower tempo allowing Samp to close down well and counter attack with pace. Inter do fine up until the last third of the pitch but with many players back and Adriano looking tired after the winter vacation it was difficult to create chances.

The first half was an equal affair with neither team creating options, but Inter did have two clear cut chances. The first with Adriano who cut the ball back across goal only to have Vieri a step behind and unable to finish. Adriano also set up Cambiasso with a great through ball into the area but the midfielders shot was well saved by the keeper from close range.

As has been the case this year, Inter create chances but are unable to finish only to have the opponents score on the first attempt. It happened once again today as Inter missed the opportunities given to them and with only a minute left in the half Samp score as Tonetto takes a cross from Diana in the box. Emre does his best to cover but the former Lecce player puts the ball past Toldo from a tough angle that hits the far post and goes in to make it 1-0 Samp at half time.

The goal was a bitter blow to Inter but at least woke them up for the second half and forced them to pick up the pace and play at a faster tempo in search of a goal. Inter come out with intent and try go forward and attack Samp in there own half. Samp however hold firm and keep Inter in check despite having much possession clear chances are few and far between.

Inter get frustrated and seem to dismantle as players put forth the effort but bad passes or slow runs off the ball made every attack stall. They looked promising from the start but fizzle out in the last third either from a bad first touch or poor decision making.

Mancini decides to make his first change at the 20th minute and takes out C. Zanetti for Martins and moves into a 4-3-3 formation. Inter still have much of the possession and go forward into the Samp half but it leaves acres of space for the counter-attack. With Inter losing many balls with poor passing Samp was content to defend and wait for the next Inter mistake to take advantage.

At the 83rd minute the strategy pays off as Samp win a ball in the midfield and with Inter pushing forward have all the space in the world to counter. Flachi gets the ball wide on the right with a player rushing in from the left. He squares it across the area and Kutuzov scores to make it 2-0 with Samp fans in the back chanting victory and Inter fans rising from there seats and leaving the stadium.

Those Inter fans that left however are probably kicking themselves silly at this very moment for walking away as Recoba makes his intentions clear once coming in for a tired Adriano. Recoba signals the comeback as he takes the ball and hits a long range blast that hits the post. It was not a goal but it was a wake up call none the less.

Recoba gets the ball in the midfield and slips a pass to Martins who beats the defender at the edge of the box and with the outside of his foot puts a great shot off the post and into the net to make it 2-1 five minutes from time.

Martins then turns provider as he does not give up on a ball that looks to go out for a goal kick. He runs hard and saves it by knocking it back into the area where Vieri volleys it home to tie the game at the 88th minute.

The draw already looked to be a miracle considering being 2-0 down was already an achievement. The miracle however was still to come and as Samp Coach Novellino took out his strikers for defenders it was not enough to keep a missle from Recoba out. Recoba gets a pass at the edge of the box and sends a screamer low and into the bottom corner to make it 3-2 at the final minute of injury time.

The final whistle was blown and the miracle come back was made complete. It seems Inter have the power to turn around any result coming back yet again this season. Mancini just needs to find a balance between the organization and the fire power at his disposal and hopefully it will come together in 2005 and the Champions League!

What a match...That's all I can say!!

Eddy Lio