A Thrilling Match at San Siro: Inter Comes Back from a 0-2 Deficit to Beat Napoli
Inter beat Napoli 3-2 in a thrilling showdown on Matchday 3 of Serie A. All the goals came in a spectacular second half: down 0-2 after goals by Politano and Hojlund, the Nerazzurri staged a comeback with Lautaro Martinez (two goals) and Thuram. In the standings, the Italian champions remain perfect with 9 points, while Allegri’s team suffers its second straight loss and remains stuck on 3.
An entertaining first half between Inter and Napoli, with several chances for both sides and a fast pace. The Nerazzurri largely controlled the play, but Allegri’s team was well-organized defensively and looked to launch quick counterattacks. The hosts threatened through Diouf and Pio Esposito, while the Azzurri made their presence felt near Martinez’s goal with Anguissa, who came close to opening the scoring in the 6th minute. Late in the half, Hojlund had a chance but found Martinez ready to make the save; then, in stoppage time, Dimarco hit the crossbar on a free kick.
At halftime, Chivu made two substitutions: Thuram came on for Esposito, and Curtis Jones replaced Sucic. The match came alive with three goals in a matter of minutes: in the 50th minute, Napoli took the lead. Barella gave away a costly ball, Hojlund set up Politano, who beat Martinez on his second attempt. Three minutes later, the Azzurri scored their second: Hojlund found the net with a great left-footed shot off an assist from Di Lorenzo.
The crushing one-two punch woke Inter up, and in the 56th minute, they cut the deficit in half thanks to captain Lautaro Martinez: Dimarco, set up by Zielinski, found the Argentine in the box, who beat Rrhamani to the ball and beat Meret. Allegri tries to inject fresh energy into his team by bringing on De Bruyne and Neres for Politano and Vergara; Chivu brings on Carlos Augusto for Dimarco and, shortly after, Calhanoglu for Zielinski. Inter drastically shifted their focus forward and created a flurry of chances: Thuram hit the post, Akanji sent a shot over the bar following a corner, and the French striker missed the target again in the 78th minute. For the final push, Chivu brought on another forward, Bonny, in place of Bastoni.
After sustained pressure, the Italian champions’ 2-2 equalizer came in the 82nd minute: Carlos Augusto found Thuram with a cross, and Thuram beat Badiashile to the ball with a header to score the equalizer. A thrilling finale: Inter didn’t let up and kept pushing for the win in front of their fans; in the 88th minute, Thuram, set up by Calhanoglu, had a great chance but missed the target. But Napoli were dangerous on the counterattack: Neres and Anguissa both squandered chances to score a third goal on the break.
And in stoppage time, Inter struck again to take the lead: Lautaro Martinez scored the 3-2 goal in the 91st minute with a tap-in from close range off an assist from Akanji, sending San Siro into a frenzy.
