The most surprising news of the first day of the championship came from Reggio Emilia, where Inter flopped in their league debut. Spalletti's team, slow and without ideas, was crushed for long stretches of the match by Sassuolo, more tonic and perky. The match was decided by Berardi on a penalty kick in the middle of the first half, decreed for an intervention by Miranda on Di Francesco. Without Skriniar and Nainggolan, Inter suffered largely from the initiative of the hosts. Disastrous Dalbert on the left (replaced by Perisic after the interval), the Icardi-Martinez couple not very inspired.
Only in the final stages did the Nerazzurri try to react, but first Icardi fired high from a few steps away, then Consigli deflected De Vrij's fine header. Too little for a team from which much more was expected, also and above all for the important summer transfer campaign.
Spalletti isn't looking for an alibi, but he doesn't even want to make drama: “I certainly don't cling to the absences of Skriniar and Nainggolan or the Croatians' delay in condition – he said – We need to evaluate those who played and think about fixing the mistakes made tonight. Overall, the boys did what we had planned, but we were surprised by the attitude of the opponents. We got a few too many restarts and when you face such closed teams then it's hard. After the disadvantage everything was more complicated. A step back from the pre-season? The real step back is the penalty, because in fact the game was lost due to a spot kick. We weren't always in trouble nor did we suffer supremacy in the game: we simply suffered two or three poisonous restarts where they were good and, then, the key episode was the penalty”.
The champion's paw came at the last minute. Edin Dzeko thought of giving Roma the three points with a left-footed volley that condemned Torino in the 89th minute. The home team tried, but striker Belotti often found himself attacking the entire yellow and red defense alone. Di Francesco's men first hit three posts (once with Kolarov and twice with Dzeko), then thanked the Var who had Iago Falque's goal canceled due to offside from Ola Aina.
Di Francesco's winning move (his colleague Mazzarri had in the meantime been expelled for protesting) was to insert Kluivert. The young Dutchman gave inspiration, strength and imagination to the right lane. He was the one who found the space for the cross which allowed Dzeko to score the beautiful winning goal with his left foot. “These are three heavy points – said the Giallorossi coach after the match – because we won them on a difficult pitch and because they allow us to start off on the right foot. Now we have to keep our feet on the ground, without thinking about the strength of our rivals, Juve or the Milanese. We are a new group, we will grow week after week. I'm sure".
Di Francesco then focused on the singles: “Pastore is a little behind, he needs to find condition and continuity again. He has quality and he has to bring it out, even covering different roles depending on the games we have to face. Olsen? He gave security to the whole defensive department, I noticed it from the first day and he is also very familiar with his feet. It will be an added value”. The closure is for Dzeko, protagonist of the day: "Maybe he misses easier goals, but he has accustomed us to these feats".
For his part, however, the centre-forward enjoys the Euro goal which allowed Roma to bring home three precious points and which disturbed important comparisons: “A goal à la Van Basten? Let's say yes – he said -. It's always difficult to come here to Turin. We suffered, but played a game full of chances. The goal had to come sooner or later. Now we must all have the same mentality, the same attitude. Kluivert sent me a beautiful cross and I scored an even better goal. Last year perhaps I scored an even better one, but let's say that my goal today in Turin enters the top three of my career".
