Roma vs Inter Review
Manu Koné scored twice, but Lautaro Martínez responded with two goals in the second half as defending champions Inter Milan made a comeback. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, halting Inter’s perfect start to the Serie A season alongside AS Roma. Before this fifth game, no team had scored more than Inter’s 13 goals, but Roma quickly matched that number within six minutes with an early goal. After conceding five goals in their previous two matches, Cristian Chivu’s team experienced a familiar setback, falling behind for the third consecutive game when Paulo Dybala’s lofted pass into the box was headed back by Nahuel Molina, setting up Koné for a close-range finish.
Dybala then narrowly missed with a long-range shot as Roma tried to extend their lead. Fortunately for the visiting fans, Inter grew into the game during the half and came close when Yann Bisseck made a powerful run into the box, only for the advancing Mile Svilar to block the opportunity. This sparked a period of pressure from the Nerazzurri, during which a sliding Martínez failed to direct Federico Dimarco’s whipped cross on target, shortly before Curtis Jones’ clever flick found Alessandro Bastoni, who hit the outside of the post from a tight angle.
Those missed chances proved costly for Inter before halftime, as Koné reacted quickly to score a second goal from inside the six-yard box, with Gianluca Mancini’s involvement in the buildup passing a VAR check for offside. Roma had only conceded one league goal in four and a half matches, but just seconds after the restart, Martínez swept in Marcus Thuram’s cutback off his shin to reduce the deficit. Numerous substitutions from both teams somewhat slowed the game’s momentum, with the match still very much undecided heading into the final quarter.
Donyell Malen, who has been in excellent form since joining Roma, nearly scored his seventh league goal of the season, only to be denied by Josep Martínez’s face after Malen turned and fired a shot directly at the goalkeeper. With eleven minutes remaining, Inter once again overcame a two-goal deficit, with Martínez scoring his second goal. The Argentine came close to scoring after some chaotic play in the box, where Thuram’s initial header was well saved by Svilar, and the ball fell favorably for Martínez, who headed it onto the crossbar. After the ball was only partially cleared, Martínez didn’t hesitate, controlling it with his thigh before volleying it in decisively.
This goal set up an exciting finish, but Thuram narrowly missed with a sidefoot shot late in the game, as Inter’s two-goal comeback proved too much to overcome this time. Following a run of nine consecutive league wins dating back to last season, Roma’s draw here means they just missed matching a club record of 11 wins. Nevertheless, the Giallorossi remain unbeaten in 15 league games at the Stadio Olimpico (11 wins, 4 draws). Gian Piero Gasperini’s team stays level on points with the still undefeated reigning champions Inter, leading only on goal difference at this early point in the season.
