A nightmare start, followed by a stunning comeback: Inter crushes Udinese
A 15-minute slump, followed by a comeback so fierce it left the opponents breathless, drained of energy, and without hope: that’s how Inter’s victory over Udinese can be summed up—a match that ended 5-3 in favor of the Nerazzurri but which, after sixteen minutes of play, seemed to be going terribly for the Beneamata, who found themselves down by two goals against the Friulians. Inter thus returns to the top of the standings, tying Roma—who had defeated Torino a couple of hours earlier—at 12 points.
The Friulians took the lead after just 9 minutes: following a corner kick, Abankwah was the quickest to react, scoring his first Serie A goal by beating Martinez. The Nerazzurri goalkeeper, already under fire after the Champions League match against Real Madrid, was at the center of another mistake that led to the visitors’ 2-0 lead, with Ekkelenkamp tapping the ball into the net, leaving the home fans speechless.
From there, however, it was a whole new game: Carlos Augusto got the scoring going again in the 26th minute with a great left-footed shot that left Okoye with no chance, Barella tied the game at 2-2 in the 35th minute, perfectly finishing off a play that began with a turnover by Miller in midfield. There were no further highlights in the first half, and the teams headed into the locker rooms tied at 2-2.
In the second half, Inter shifted into an even higher gear and completed the comeback in the 57th minute: Diouf shook off Ebosse and found himself with the ball at his feet; his pass to Thuram was spot-on, and the French striker scored to make it 3-2. The only real downside for Inter in the second half was Stones’ injury, which forced him off the field in the 62nd minute (replaced by Pavard). In the 68th minute, however, the score became 4-2: Zielinski found Esposito in the penalty area, and the young forward kept his cool in front of Okoye, beating him with a right-footed shot across the goal.
But it didn’t end there: in the 79th minute, Bonny made it 5-2. Nine minutes after coming on as a substitute for Thuram, he first shot straight at Okoye and then scored on the rebound. With the game all but decided, Inter allowed a slip-up just seconds before the 90th minute: Bayo laid the ball off for Gueye, and the Senegalese player beat Martinez to score his first goal of the season. After eight goals, things settled down: the match at San Siro ended 5-3 in Inter’s favor.
