Inter overturns Napoli in the 'Calcio'

Argentine international striker Lautaro Martinez led his team, defending champions Inter Milan, to a dramatic comeback and a 3-2 victory over guests Napoli, scoring a brace at Milan’s San Siro stadium in the third round of the Italian Serie A.

AS Roma followed Inter’s example by overturning a deficit to defeat Atalanta 2-1, retaining top spot in the league on goal difference ahead of the Lombard side.

In the first match, Inter were on the verge of a crushing defeat against Napoli, their longstanding bogey team. However, the defending champions, who had fallen behind to a two-goal cushion from Matteo Politano (50th minute) and Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund (53rd minute), snatched victory thanks to a second-half brace from captain Martinez (56th and 90+1st minutes) and a goal from French international striker Marcus Thuram (82nd minute).

Matches between Inter and Napoli often spark controversy and intensity. The champions of Italy in the last two seasons confirmed this once again in a frenetic encounter that saw a flurry of chances for both sides until the final moments.

Inter, who face Real Madrid tomorrow in the UEFA Champions League, continued their perfect start, raising their points tally to nine.

At the Olympic Stadium in the capital, the Giallorossi imposed their dominance but were held at bay for long periods by the exceptional performance of Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, who was in outstanding form.

Atalanta took the lead through Brazilian striker Ederson (47th minute) and remained ahead until the 89th minute before collapsing in the dying stages.

Spanish defender Mario Hermoso equalized in the 90th minute, and Matthias Suleh then secured a third consecutive win for Roma with a late goal in stoppage time (90+3rd minute).

Roma and Inter regained top spot, two points clear of Como, which had taken the lead after beating Genoa 4-1 in the opening round.

Torino also secured their first win of the season by overturning hosts Fiorentina 2-1.

The round concludes today with matches between Cagliari and Lecce, and Udinese and Lazio.