Inter are back in the running. The victory in the direct clash with Naples, combined with defeat of Milan to Florence, causes the Nerazzurri to shorten the standings on both leaders, who still remained in command despite the double knockout. Thus Inzaghi wins the first big match of the season and does so on the most important Sunday, the one in which he could not make a mistake for any reason, while Spalletti has to deal with the first defeat of his championship, as well as with the unpleasant sensation of having thrown in the wind a great chance to go on the run. Yes, because in the first few minutes Napoli had seemed able to raise their voices, so much so that they found the advantage after just 17' with Zielinski, good at beating Handanovic with a shot from distance. There, however, the match changed and Inter has brought out the character just to overturn it, first equalizing with a penalty from Calhanoglu (25', Koulibaly's arm), then on 2-1 with a splendid header from Perisic (44'). At the beginning of the second half, Spalletti had to accept another disappointment, namely the injury of Osimhen, who was forced out due to a blow to the head after a clash with Skriniar.
Subsequent tests revealed multiple displaced fractures of the orbit and left cheekbone, with the inevitable surgery and a consequent stoppage of at least a month: a good shingle for Napoli, who risk not seeing the Nigerian again for a while , also by virtue of the African Cup which will begin on 6 January. However, Inter continued their game, made up of a careful defensive phase and deadly counterattacks: on one of these, in the 61st minute, Correa pocketed for Lautaro, resulting in a 3-1 Nerazzurri and San Siro in celebration. At that point Spalletti removed Insigne and Lozano, rather subdued, for Elmas and Mertens and the game changed again. The Belgian caught the joker with a great shot from distance (78'), turning the finish into a real blue siege, in which Handanovic saved Inter with a great save from Mario Rui and Mertens, again him, failed to make it 3-3 by shooting high from an excellent position. “It was a key match even if the most important one is against Shakthar – exulted Inzaghi -. Napoli are first in Serie A for ball possession and we knew that by keeping them under 60% we could win, so we did. We have to continue on this path, we know that we have an important path ahead of us and that we need to think match by match. Lautaro? On the eve I said I wasn't worried because he kept creating chances even when he wasn't scoring, there are times when the ball doesn't want to go in but this time he scored a great goal ”.
"I don't give a damn about the result, attitude matters and we played a good match – Spalletti replied -. In the first half I was angry because we played with little courage, but in the second we did much better in terms of research, with some more courageous choices and balls delivered with greater quality and unpredictability. I know what our race should be, if this will make us win well, however we will see as the weeks and matches go by: time will tell who we will have to fight with”. The other great protagonist on Sunday is Mourinho's Roma, who returned to victory against Shevchenko's Genoa. Under the rain from Marassi, the Giallorossi prevailed with a 2-0 victory signed by Felix Afena-Gyan, the 18-year-old Ghanaian in his third appearance in Serie A.
It is undoubtedly he ithe great protagonist of the evening, because his entry onto the pitch in the 75th minute changed the game, unhinging the defensive castle built by Sheva and giving Roma a fundamental success, which is worth the fifth place alone at minus 3 from Atalanta, as well as overtaking Lazio, Fiorentina and Juventus. Lots of applause for the very young Felix, author of two splendid goals, one with a first intention dish on an assist from Mkhitaryan (82'), the other with a screaming right-footed shot that killed Sirigu right at sunset of the match (94' ), but also to those who had the courage to launch him and prefer him to much more popular teammates, Zaniolo above all, or José Mourinho. Special One won it with his ideas, therefore 3-4-1-2 with Pellegrini back in midfield in place of Cristante, El Shaarawy on the left and Mkhitaryan behind the pair Abraham-Shomurodov, but above all with the inclusion of Felix, a sign of a new course, in which names no longer seem to count for anything.
"He ran to me after the goal because I promised to buy him a pair of shoes that he really likes and that cost a lot, around 800 euros – joked the Portuguese -. He came towards the bench to remind me of his promise, I'll have to go to the shop to buy them for him… We played very well, sometimes we lacked a little verticality, but we were always in total control. The exclusion of Zaniolo? This squad was not built to play with a 3-4-1-2, he could have played in place of one of the two forwards, but Genoa didn't give us space and he needs it. In any case, I liked his attitude on the bench too, he will certainly play on Thursday or Sunday, maybe both ”. Now, while waiting for the 13th to complete its course with today's postponements (Verona-Empoli and Turin-Udinese), the big names will take a day off before returning to the field for the European cups. And here too, just like in the championship, there will be no room for errors of any kind.
