Martinez Saves Inter from Defeat

Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez rescued his team, Inter, the defending champions, from defeat against Roma, the league leaders, scoring two comeback goals in a 2-2 draw yesterday in the fifth round of the Italian Serie A. Meanwhile, Lazio remained in the title race with another victory.

Led by veteran coach Gian Piero Gasperini and French midfielder Manuel Locatelli, Roma appeared poised to extend their strong start to the season without a loss, aiming for a fifth win in six matches. However, Martínez, the World Cup runner-up, refused to let the celebrations begin at the Stadio Olimpico.

Although Roma failed to inflict Inter’s first home defeat since March last year—a side that has lost only one match away from Italian soil, against Spain’s Real Madrid in the Champions League this season—the capital club remains firmly in the hunt for the domestic title. Roma currently tops the table ahead of Inter on goal difference, with both sides on 13 points, as well as ahead of rivals Lazio, who also continued their strong start with a 2-0 victory over hosts Venezia.

In an exciting match before a large crowd, Roma deservedly took a two-goal lead in the first half. The opener came from a Locatelli strike from inside the box following an assist from Argentine Nahuel Molina (6th minute), followed by a second goal from the Frenchman himself after a series of passes (37th minute).

As the second half began, excitement intensified as Martínez quickly reduced the deficit just seconds into the period, scoring with a beautiful shot after an assist from Frenchman Marcus Thuram (46th minute). Attempts from both sides followed, with either team capable of scoring had it not been for occasional recklessness and outstanding goalkeeping, until Martínez equalized. He first saved Samir Handanović from a certain goal, then hit the post, before the attack continued to reach Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who played the ball to the World Cup runner-up, who scored the second equalizer (79th minute).

In another match, Lazio returned from Venezia with three valuable points. Their victory was thanks to two goals: Mattia Zaccagni (51st minute, penalty) and Dutchman Tijn van der Heijden (60th minute).

Cagliari also climbed temporarily to third place in the standings after a clean-sheet victory over hosts Udinese. The visitors secured their third consecutive win, moving up to 12 points, while Udinese suffered their third defeat, remaining stuck on four points.

Croatian substitute Sandro Kulenović saved Torino from a fourth loss, securing a 1-1 draw against hosts Bologna.