INTER CAPTAIN MAURO Icardi stunned Atalanta with a perfect nine-minute hat-trick in Serie A this afternoon.
The prolific striker opened the scoring at San Siro with a left-footed effort from close range in the 17th minute after Ivan Perisic’s free-kick squirmed through a disorganised Atalanta wall.
It meant Icardi had three goals in as many matches having netted in each of the past two weekends versus Roma and Cagliari and his day would get much better.
Atalanta goalkeeper Etrit Berisha brought down the Argentinian striker, who chipped a 23rd-minute penalty high into the net right-footed and, with the clock on 25 minutes and 47 seconds, Icardi headed home his 20th Serie A goal of the season from Ever Banega’s corner.
Banega then got in on the act with a brace of his own to make it 5-0 inside 34 minutes as the hosts went onto win 7-1.
Stefano Pioli’s men are up to fourth in the Serie A table having started the day behind their visitors in the standings – making the yawning gulf in class on the field all the more remarkable.
Inter captain Icardi has been a polarising figure for his club and back in his Argentine homeland but he lapped up the adoration as it rained goals in Milan, leapfrogging Edin Dzeko, Gonzalo Higuain and Dries Mertens in the race for the Capocannoniere in the process.
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