Friendly: Inter defeat Monaco down to 10 men after Calhanoglu dismissal

Lautaro Martinez shrugs off Thilo Kehrer during the pre-season friendly between Inter and AS Monaco (@inter)

Despite the early Hakan Calhanoglu red card, 10-man Inter overturned AS Monaco for a 2-1 friendly win with Lautaro Martinez and Ange-Yoan Bonny goals.

The atmosphere was somewhat strange even before kick-off, with a statement from the host venue warning anyone attending wearing Inter shirts, scarves, or even just blue and black colours, would be ejected from the stadium.

It took just 80 seconds for the hosts to break the deadlock, as Calhanoglu was robbed in midfield and Maghnes Akliouche hit a scorcher into the near top corner from the edge of the area.

Nicolò Barella in a more advanced role than usual blasted a volley over the bar from the Lautaro Martinez knock-down, then bent a finish wide from a promising position moments later.

Barella opted to be generous with a cut-back after he was sent clear by Calhanoglu, but Marcus Thuram’s tap-in was deflected inches wide.

Camara twice tested Yann Sommer from distance, with Petar Sucic doing the same at the other end, but Inter were reduced to 10 men after just 35 minutes.

Calhanoglu had already been told off for one clumsy sliding tackle before he was booked, then slipped and lunged into another in the centre-circle on Vanderson and was sent off.

It had already been a tense situation with Lautaro Martinez booked for dissent, along with Cristian Chivu’s assistant Aleksandar Kolarov.

Monaco wasted two sitters, the first chipped onto the side-netting by Mika Biereth, the second an avoidable George Ilenikhena offside.

Sucic was sent clear by a through ball only for Vanderson to do just enough to stop him prodding in from seven yards.

Even down to 10 men, Inter managed to equalise after the restart. Alessandro Bastoni made a big tackle and immediately Barella sent Lautaro Martinez one-on-one against Thilo Kehrer, who was turned inside out by a twisting dribble before it found the net.

Denis Zakaria smashed a daisy-cutter against the upright moments later, while Barella again volleyed over the bar.

Inter turned it around to lead when a man down, as Bonny stole it back inside his own half, went on another mazy run like Lautaro Martinez, and dinked the finish over Lukas Hradecky when off balance from eight yards.

Second choice goalkeeper Raffaele Di Gennaro needed a sensational fingertip save at the back post on an Akliouche diving header.

Another dangerous Bonny counter-attack saw him draw out Hradecky, but narrow the angle too much, so he pulled it back for a Henrikh Mkhitaryan blast over the bar.

Monaco 1-2 Inter

Akliouche 2 (M), Lautaro Martinez 60 (I), Bonny 80 (I)

Sent off: Calhanoglu 35 (I)

Monaco: Hradecky; Vanderson (Teze 66), Singo, Kehrer, Caio Henrique (Ouattara 78); Akliouche, Zakaria (Bamba 66), Camara (Magassa 78), Ben Seghir (Golovin 66); Biereth (Embolo 78), Ilenikhena (Brunner 66)

Inter: Sommer (Di Gennaro 66); Pavard (De Vrij 66), Acerbi (Darmian 76), Bastoni (Carlos Augusto 66); Luis Henrique (Zielinski 76), Barella (Asllani 76), Calhanoglu, Sucic (Mkhitaryan 66), Dimarco (Dumfries 66); Thuram (Bonny 66), Lautaro Martinez (Pio Esposito 66)