Lautaro Martinez came to Inter Milan’s rescue on Saturday as the Serie A champions fought back from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw at Roma.
The result ended the perfect starts of both sides in an early-season clash that offered a glimpse of what could develop into a closely contested Scudetto race.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma had arguably been the most impressive side in Italy during the opening weeks of the campaign, with Donyell Malen’s prolific form and a disciplined defence helping them to four wins from four.
But Inter showed their resilience for the second time in a week, recovering from a two-goal deficit to earn a point after Manu Koné’s first-half brace had put Roma in control.
“There is a lot of positivity in this side; both teams could’ve won it,” Gasperini told DAZN.
“I think we played on level terms… This match must give us confidence going forward.”
Earlier on Saturday, both teams paid tribute to former Inter and Italy playmaker Sandro Mazzola following the announcement of his death at the age of 83. Inter players also wore black armbands during the match.
Roma made a flying start as Koné opened the scoring inside six minutes, adjusting his body brilliantly to fire home Nahuel Molina’s knockdown.
The goal was the France midfielder’s first of the season and highlighted another sluggish opening from Inter that will concern coach Cristian Chivu.
The champions had endured a similarly difficult start against Udinese on Monday, falling 2-0 behind inside 16 minutes before recovering to win 5-3.
Inter struggled to find their rhythm for much of the first half at the Stadio Olimpico, with Paulo Dybala twice going close to extending Roma’s lead.
The visitors then had a chance to respond when a clever pass from Curtis Jones found Alessandro Bastoni, but the Inter defender struck the post from a tight angle.
Roma eventually doubled their advantage in the 37th minute when Koné arrived at the back post to finish from close range.
His celebration was briefly halted by the assistant referee’s flag, but VAR intervened following a lengthy review and referee Davide Massa eventually awarded the goal, allowing Koné to celebrate his sixth Serie A goal.
Inter fight back
Chivu’s half-time intervention sparked a response from the champions.
“I will focus on the second half, which in terms of attitude, grit, and character was remarkable,” the Romanian said.
“We were up against a great opponent; we know what Roma represent, and it was an entertaining match.”
Inter captain Martinez pulled one back less than a minute after the restart, his scuffed effort from Marcus Thuram’s pull-back finding its way inside Mile Svilar’s far post.
Roma continued to threaten, however, and Malen came close to adding to his six league goals in the 68th minute. The Dutch forward produced a slick touch and turn in a crowded penalty area before his powerful effort struck Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez in the face and deflected away.
With the match seemingly heading towards a Roma victory, Inter produced a late surge.
Svilar made a sharp save during a goalmouth scramble before Martinez headed against the crossbar under pressure.
The ball was recycled back into the area and fell to Martinez once again. This time, the Argentine made no mistake, controlling with his thigh before firing past Svilar to complete his brace and rescue a point for the champions.
The draw leaves both sides unbeaten but ends their respective winning starts to the campaign.
Elsewhere, Cagliari moved to 12 points with a 1-0 victory away to Udinese, while Bologna and Torino played out a 1-1 draw in Emilia-Romagna.
Venezia were scheduled to host Roma’s city rivals Lazio in Saturday’s final match.
AFP
