Inter raid in Bergamo, narrowly beat Atalanta

Inter won 1-0 against Atalanta thanks to Lautaro Martinez’s goal in the second half and regained the top of the table, at +1 on Milan e +2 on Napoli. Fifth defeat for Atalanta which remains in tenth position: the Bergamo players will face Roma in the next round while the Nerazzurri from Chivu they will face Bologna.

Palladino confirmed the usual 3-4-2-1 with Pasalic in the role of deputy Lookman, absent due to being called up to the Africa Cup of Nations: in attack there was room for the usual Scamacca, supported by the Croatian and De Ketelaere. Inter responded with 3-5-2 and the Thuram-Lautaro duo created problems for an Atalanta that was more wait-and-see compared to the last few outings.

The guests’ first real chance was created from a dead ball, but Akanji’s deflection was again fouled for a corner by Kolasinac. The hosts showed little in attack, in the 17th minute Ederson tried with a volley that ended wide of the goal. The first half continued with flashes and some individual errors, Lautaro wasted a good opportunity after freeing himself well from Djimsiti’s marking. In the 35th minute Thuram broke the deadlock with an unstoppable diagonal, but the goal was disallowed due to an initial offside by Lautaro himself. The guests tried to attack via central routes, the Dea relied on counterattacks, but Palladino’s men struggled to find the right play to send the attackers on goal.

In the second half the pace increased, De Ketelaere found the net to make it 1-0, but the goal was disallowed due to an earlier offside by Zalewski. On the turnaround in front Luis Henrique wasted a great opportunity, Carnesecchi’s save was decisive, while Barella’s subsequent shot ended up on the back of the net. In the 20th minute of the second half, Inter found the advantage following a sensational error by Djimsiti: Esposito, who had come on a few seconds ago, intercepted the ball and served to Lautaro assist him by him fifth goal in four games. In the final, Atalanta wasted a possible equalizer through Samardzic.