Stoppage Time Goals Shake Up Serie A Standings For Inter And Roma
Lautaro Martinez scored the winning goal in the 91st minute, sealing a huge three-goal comeback win for Inter Milan against Napoli on Saturday. Roma also earned points late, beating Atalanta 2-1 to take the lead in the Serie A table. In Milan, the score was level at the break. Napoli then moved ahead in the 50th minute when Matteo Politano scored from a rebound. Three minutes later, Rasmus Hojlund received a pass from Giovanni Di Lorenzo and fired in from near the edge of the box. Napoli thus had a two-goal lead. Inter reacted right away. In the 56th minute, Martinez scored a powerful goal to reduce the deficit. Both teams kept attacking for the rest of the game. Eight minutes before the end of regular time, Marcus Thuram headed in a cross from Carlos Augusto to level the score. In the final phase, both teams had chances. Martinez eventually won the game by punching the ball home at the back post after a corner kick. Inter head coach Cristian Chivu praised his team. "We had some quality players on the field who could have made a difference," Chivu remarked. "By making substitutions, we took risks and those risks proved worthwhile. When the score was 2-2, it was a kind of match you don't often see in Italy, since teams there tend to settle for a draw. There were outstanding opportunities on both sides, and the result could have been either way." In that context, if you watch a lot of Italian football, you'll know that teams usually bring the intensity down towards the end to keep a point. Instead, Inter pressed for a win.  In Rome, the Stadio Olimpico saw another late thriller, with Ederson scoring early for Atalanta. Roma then launched a counterattack, and Mario Hermoso equalised with a header that curled in. Instead of settling for a draw, Roma pressed for a winning goal in the final minutes, and Matias Soule took advantage of a loose ball in the penalty area in the 93rd minute to secure a 2-1 victory for Roma. As a result, Roma moved to the top of the league table. Torino secured their first win with Ignazio Abate as head coach. The team went to Fiorentina and conceded an odd early goal; Mateo Pellegrino took a long-range shot that Torino's goalkeeper, Lucas Perri, handled poorly, and the ball slipped past him. Perri then recovered quickly and made important saves to keep Torino in the game. His teammates responded by scoring, with Rolando Mandragora hitting the goal from outside the penalty area. Che Adams then completed the two-goal comeback by poking the ball into the net from close range in the 82nd minute. This weekend's match changed the top of the Italian league. Roma has now taken the lead in the title race. Inter have shown they have the attacking strength to overcome big deficits against top-class teams. Torino have gained important impetus with their new manager in place. Looking ahead, attention will be on how Napoli and Atalanta handle losing points in the closing moments of their games.
