Inter turn the tables on Napoli

Argentine international striker Lautaro Martinez led his team, defending champions Inter Milan, to a dramatic comeback and a 3-2 victory over visitors Napoli with a brace in the Serie A third-round match at Milan’s San Siro stadium yesterday. Roma followed Inter’s example, overturning a deficit to beat Atalanta 2-1 and retain 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 traditional bogey team, but the title holders, trailing by a two-goal margin, snatched victory thanks to Martinez’s second-half double and a goal from French international striker Marcus Thuram. Encounters between Inter and Napoli often spark tensions, and the champions of Italy in the last two seasons confirmed this once again in a frenetic match that saw a flurry of chances for both sides until the final moments.

The teams were level at halftime, but Napoli took the lead in the 50th minute following a mistake by Nicolo Barella. Matteo Politano, capitalizing on a rebound, beat Spanish goalkeeper Josep Martinez. Just three minutes later, Rasmus Hojlund doubled the lead in a bizarre sequence: while Inter players ignored the ball, believing it had gone out for a throw-in, Giovanni Di Lorenzo passed it to the Dane near the edge of the penalty area, who struck it almost directly with his left foot. The shot deceived Martinez and silenced the San Siro crowd.

However, Inter, who had not beaten Napoli in the league since December 2023, responded immediately. Federico Dimarco delivered a late low cross to the far post, which Martinez pounced on to equalize (56th minute). Thuram, who started the match on the bench, restored parity with a header (82nd minute) and could have won it for his side, but he overhit a lofted pass in the 88th minute. Inter’s lifeline came from the ever-reliable Martinez, who exploited poor Napoli defensive marking on a corner kick to give the Nerazzurri the lead in stoppage time (90+1).

Inter, who face Spanish giants Real Madrid tomorrow in the UEFA Champions League, continued their perfect start, moving up to nine points. At the Olympic Stadium in the capital, the Giallorossi imposed their control but were repeatedly thwarted by the exceptional performance of Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi. Atalanta took the lead through Brazilian striker Ederson (47th minute) and remained ahead until the 89th minute before collapsing in the final moments. Spanish defender Mario Hermoso equalized for Roma (90th minute), and Matthias Sule gave his team their third consecutive win with a stoppage-time goal (90+3).

Roma and Inter share the top spot, two points clear of Como. Torino secured their first win of the season by also overturning a deficit, defeating hosts Fiorentina 2-1.