After a month of not playing, he became the best player in the half: Mkhitaryan is back in form

Henrikh Mkhitaryan played his first match since suffering an injury on October 25 in the game against Napoli. The 36-year-old midfielder came on in the second half of the Coppa Italia Round of 16 match between Inter and Venezia.

The Milan club confidently won 5–1 and advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of Roma vs Torino.

Inter dominated from the first minutes and scored three goals in the first half — Andy Diouf, Francesco Pio Esposito and Marcus Thuram found the net.

In the second half, Mkhitaryan entered the field. The Armenian midfielder immediately became involved in the game and participated in two productive attacks.

• In the 51st minute, he started the move involving Frattesi and Thuram, who completed his brace.

• In the 74th minute, Mkhitaryan recorded an assist, delivering a precise pass to Bonny — his first goal contribution of the season.

Mkhitaryan’s stats

• Minutes played: 45
• Shots: 1
• Big chance missed: 1
• Assists: 1
• Chances created: 2
• Key passes: 4
• Crosses: 1/1
• Long balls: 2/3
• Fouls won: 3
• Possessions lost: 9
• Tackles: 1
• Duels won: 4/5
• SofaScore rating: 7.7

What Italian media wrote about Mkhitaryan

Eurosport (6.5)
“He needs to regain match rhythm — and he does it well in a game that unfolded in Inter’s favor. First he almost found the corner of the net, then provided an assist for Bonny.”

Calciomercato (7)
“He immediately stood out with a great through pass to Luis Enrique, who went one-on-one. Minutes later he was involved again: a pass to Frattesi, who assisted Thuram for 4–0. Bonny created a chance for him to score, but the shot went inches wide. He finished the match with a headed assist to Bonny.”

Fcinter1908 (6.5)

“He failed to convert a clear goal-scoring chance, once again showing his complicated relationship with finishing. But later he delivered the assist for 5–1 and earned important minutes on the pitch.”

Tuttomercatoweb (6.5)

“He had been out for more than a month due to injury, but his return was very positive. He came close to scoring in several moments and provided an assist to Bonny.”

Sport.virgilio (6.5)

“He hadn’t been on the pitch for quite some time, but gradually regained confidence. Set up Luis Enrique for a shot, initiated the attack that led to the 4–0 goal, and was himself close to scoring.”

90min (6.5)

“He nearly scored with a shot that went just wide of the post and made a smart layoff to Bonny.”

Passioneinter (6.5)

“He returned after more than a month away. With his very first pass, he sent Luis Enrique through on goal; with his second, he launched the move that resulted in the 4–0 goal.”

Linterista (7)

“He came on as if he had never been absent. Inspiring, brilliant on the ball, always appearing in the right place. It’s only a pity that his goal-scoring instinct has not fully returned yet.”

Next matches
Inter will face Como on December 6 in Serie A, and Liverpool on December 9 in the Champions League.