Inter vs. Napoli: A Thrilling Match, but the Referee Comes Under Fire—All the Controversial Calls Reviewed

The Inter-Napoli match sparked debate due to the Nerazzurri’s victory, which came only in stoppage time, capping off a 3-2 comeback that had seen them trailing by as many as two goals until the 56th minute of play. However, both during and after Saturday afternoon’s big match, there was no shortage of controversy over certain on-field decisions made by referee Simone Sozza of Seregno, as well as by the VAR and AVAR officials (Aleandro Di Paolo and Federico Dionisi, respectively).

Major controversy erupted in particular in the 82nd minute, when Marcus Thuram scored to tie the game at 2-2. The French forward headed the ball past a motionless Meret, while Rrahmani lay on the ground just a few steps in front of the Napoli goalkeeper. Referee Sozza did not stop play because the Napoli defender had been struck by his own header, not by that of an opponent. But controversy over the incident quickly flared up. The home team also had reason to protest, however: Politano’s goal in the 50th minute came after a counterattack in which Barella had appealed for a penalty for a potential handball by Lobotka. Also worth noting was the referee’s failure to blow the whistle following a play involving Alisson Santos that left Zielinski on the ground, as well as a yellow card issued to Lautaro Martinez for protesting after a hard tackle by Rrahmani.

From a strictly sporting perspective, the match featured a balanced first half played at a fast pace, with the Nerazzurri dominating possession and Napoli well-organized defensively, ready to strike on the counterattack. The second half, however, turned into a true spectacle: after the visitors took a two-goal lead thanks to goals by Politano and Hojlund within three minutes, Inter gradually shifted the momentum until they turned the result around with a brace from Lautaro Martinez—decisive in both the 56th and 91st minutes—and a goal by Thuram in the 82nd minute. Also worth noting in the closing minutes were the glaring chances Napoli squandered on the counterattack through Neres and Anguissa, which could have sealed the victory once and for all.

With this victory, Inter, led by Cristian Chivu, moves up to 9 points and remains undefeated after three matchdays. Massimiliano Allegri’s Napoli, on the other hand, suffered their second consecutive league defeat, remaining stuck on 3 points: a difficult start to the season for the Azzurri, who had already been beaten at home by Como on Matchday 2. Just on the eve of the match, Allegri had tried to downplay the situation: “Calm down, it’s only the third matchday; everyone tends to get too excited or too down too quickly. We’ve analyzed the loss to Como, corrected the technical errors, and the team is heading to San Siro with confidence.”

The undisputed star of the evening was Lautaro Martinez, who scored the two goals that decided the match and is increasingly becoming the driving force behind this Inter team. The Nerazzurri captain, who last summer turned down Barcelona’s advances to stay in Milan, once again proved his worth in the moments that matter. “My life, today, is in Milan. I chose to stay at Inter because I’m happy here, I feel valued, and I still have a strong desire to improve,” the Argentine had stated on the sidelines of the Gran Galà del Calcio at La Scala, just a few days before the summer transfer window closed.

For Napoli, it’s now time to quickly turn the page: their Champions League debut against Arsenal is already scheduled for Tuesday, September 9, at the Maradona Stadium—an opponent that, incidentally, snatched Gabriel Jesus away from the Azzurri, having sold him to Barcelona in the final hours of the transfer window. A packed European schedule full of high-profile matches awaits Allegri’s team, which must urgently find the consistency and reliability in performance that, at least in the league, has yet to materialize.