Inter completed their German pre-season tour with a second win from two matches, beating Karlsruher 2-1 thanks to a remarkable stoppage-time double from Andy Diouf. After a 16-0 thrashing of a local amateur side in their first friendly, the Nerazzurri faced a sterner test and looked set for defeat before the French midfielder's late heroics.
Cristian Chivu, who remains at the helm of Inter following the 2025-26 campaign, deployed two entirely different lineups across the two halves. The first half featured Nicolò Barella, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Francesco Pio Esposito, while the second half saw Davide Frattesi, Piotr Zielinski, Federico Dimarco, and Diouf enter the fray.
Karlsruher took the lead in the 50th minute through Tim Civeja, who finished off a swift counter-attack. The goal sparked Inter into life, with Luka Topalovic and Benjamin Pavard both going close, but the equaliser would not arrive until deep into stoppage time.
With the game seemingly lost, Diouf produced a moment of magic in the 91st minute. Dimarco's corner was cleared to the edge of the box, where the Frenchman met it with a scorching left-footed drive through a crowd of legs that beat the goalkeeper.
Remarkably, Diouf was not finished. In the 94th minute, he collected the ball inside the area and curled a magnificent left-footed finish into the far corner, completing a stunning turnaround and sealing Inter's victory.
"If he keeps these performances up, then perhaps the Nerazzurri already have the heir to Denzel Dumfries on the right," noted Football Italia in their match report. Diouf has previously stated he sees himself as a central midfielder, but his impact from a wide-right position suggests significant tactical flexibility.
Inter now return to Milan to continue pre-season preparations ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
Sources
- [Football Italia — Karlsruhe 1-2 Inter: Fantastic Diouf late double seals friendly victory](https://football-italia.net/karlsruhe-1-2-inter-fantastic-diouf-double/)
