Simone Inzaghi’s Inter closed their 2022 year on a positive note as they stunned Atalanta 3-2 at the Gewiss Stadium. Despite conceding first, the visitor Nerazzurri benefited of an Edin Dzeko in great shape as he bagged a brace before José Palomino headed the ball in the wrong net.
The Argentine eventually scored the goal that set the score at 2-3 but it was too late. Gian Piero Gasperini’s Bergamaschi thus recorded their third loss in a row and the fourth in the last five games, now risking to squander all the good work done so far.
Gasperini had to resort to Palomino at the last minute as Rafael Toloi picked up an injury during warm up. This was the first cap as a starter for him in seven months and after being clear from doping accusations.
The match at the Gewiss Stadium was vibrant and saw both sides attack from the get go. André Onana picked Federico Dimarco with a long range throw in, but Inter’s mid-week goleador came up with a weak shot that gave Juan Musso no reason for concern. Atalanta immediately replied with a Teun Koopmeiners effort that was defused by the Inter goalkeeper.
The home side drew first blood on 25 minutes, courtesy of a Duvan Zapata incursion that prompted Stefan De Vrij to foul him in the box. From the penalty spot, Ademola Lookman made no mistake.
Inter had their equalizer 11 minutes later as Dzeko slotted the ball home with an acrobatic conversion from a Lautaro Martinez header assist. The two sides went for the break with the score set at 1-1.
The match tempo didn’t slow down in the second half. There were chances for Denzel Dumfries and Mario Pasalic, but eventually it was Inter to find the net again with Dzeko. The Bosnian veteran was the offensive terminal of a clinical fast break involving Nicoló Barella, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Dimarco who served the final cross.
On the one-hour mark, Inter made it three. From a Hakan Calhanoglu corner, Martinez went for a header conversion, but it was Palomino’s subsequent deflection to make the ball bounce past the hapless Musso.
Atalanta did not surrender easily though, and gathered the strength to reopen the match on 77 minutes. Palomino redeemed himself from his own goal, as he headed the ball home into the right net this time from a Koopmeiners set piece. The final minutes saw the Bergamaschi attack furiously but with no results to show for it.
After losing in the Derby d’Italia last week, Inter thus wrapped their second win in a row, scoring an outstanding nine goals in the process but also conceding three. For Gasperini and Atalanta, on the other hand, the year-end break comes at the right time as they will have a lot of soul searching to do.
MATCH SCORECARD
November 13, 2022 – Serie A 2022-2023 Round 15
ATALANTA – INTER 2-3
SCORERS: 25′ Lookman (A, pen.), 36′ Dzeki (I), 56′ Dzeko (I), 61′ Palomino (A, o.g.), 77′ Palomino (A)
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ATALANTA (4-2-3-1): Musso; Hateboer, Demiral (68′ Okoli), Palomino, Maehle; Éderson, Scalvini (46′ Malinovskyi); Koopmeiners, Pasalic (83′ Boga), Lookman; Zapata (68′ Hojlund) (Rossi, Sportiello, Djimsiti, Zortea, Ruggeri, Soppy) Coach: Gasperini |
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INTER (3-5-2): Onana; Skriniar, de Vrij, A. Bastoni (72′ Acerbi); Dumfries (72′ Bellanova), Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan (80′ Brozovic), Dimarco (80′ Gosens); Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez (84′ Correa) (Handanovic, Cordaz, Gagliardini, Asllani, V. Carboni, Zanotti) Coach: S. Inzaghi |
NOTES: Yellow Cards: De Vrij, Skriniar, Onana (I); Added Time: 1st Half 1′, 2nd Half 6′
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