Serie A Saturday Action Recap – Favorites Up to the Task

The long-awaited 2022/23 season in Italian football is officially up and running as we take a look at the Serie A scores and everything that happened on Saturday. A set of four matches served to get the new season in Italy’s top flight underway, and it was breathtaking, to say the least. 

Champions Milan Off to a Flying Start

Stefano Pioli’s Milan started their Serie A title defense with a bang, pulling off a come-from-behind 4-2 victory over Udinese at San Siro.

New Udinese boss Andrea Sottil thought his side could be staging an upset on his touchline debut when Rodrigo Becao put the visitors in front only two minutes into the game.

It took the Rossoneri just nine minutes to reply through Theo Hernandez, who slotted home a penalty to level the score and initiate the comeback.

Four minutes on, Ante Rebic completed the turnaround, turning in a delightful low cross from Davide Calabria, yet Udinese re-established parity on the stroke of halftime through Adam Masina. 

Udinese’s celebration was short-lived as Brahim Diaz took advantage of the visitors’ sloppy defensive reaction to put the ball past Marco Silvestri and restore Milan’s lead seconds into the second half. 

Rebic’s second of the day midway through the second half sealed the deal for the reigning champions, though they came close to adding to their tally down the final stretch.

Marquee summer signing Charles De Keteleare joined the fray in the 71st minute and had enough time to lift San Siro spectators off their feet a few times with some sublime touches. 

Lookman Inspires Atalanta Win at Sampdoria

Despite heading into the new season with low expectations, Atalanta picked up a hard-earned 2-0 win away to Sampdoria to paint the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign with flying colours. 

After a tumultuous 2021/22 season that saw them experience their worst finish since 2015/16, Gian Piero Gasperini was desperate to see his side respond. 

What better way to satisfy their coach than to pick up all three points at Luigi Ferraris against traditionally unpleasant hosts Sampdoria? 

After VAR ruled out Francisco Caputo’s opener in the 14th minute, La Dea took the lead as long-serving captain Rafael Toloi broke the deadlock in the 26th minute from point-blank range. 

It was a scrappy second half, by all means, with both sides committing to rough tackles and continually getting into fights. 

Yet, Gasperini’s side came off better as summer addition Ademola Lookman found the net on his maiden appearance for Atalanta.

The Nigerian winger initially saw his goal disallowed for offside right before the 90-minute mark but made sure to stay behind minutes later to open his Serie A account with a composed finish. 

Denzel to the Rescue for Inter

Last season’s runners-up Inter took their supporters through an emotional rollercoaster as they needed a stoppage-time drama to take down newly-promoted Lecce 2-1. 

Simone Inzaghi’s side enjoyed a stellar start to the match as Romelu Lukaku got on the scoresheet only a couple of minutes into his second Nerazzurri debut. 

Though the travelling fans must have thought their side would be cruising to an opening day triumph at that moment, things turned around dramatically in the second half. 

Assan Ceesay, who joined Lecce from Zurich over the summer, stormed past his markers to pick the ball up in the Inter box and beat Samir Handanovic from an awkward angle just after the break.

Inter looked out of steam and a bit rusty as Lecce continued to mount pressure up front and create chances, though the visitors survived thanks to Handanovic’s stunning saves. 

But when the home side lost momentum, Inzaghi’s men took over and refused to give up until the final seconds. 

Indeed, it went down to the wire as second-half substitute Denzel Dumfries chested home a 94th-minute winner. 

Monza Show Teeth on Serie A Debut But to No Avail

Despite a spirited performance, Monza succumbed to a 2-1 home defeat to Ivan Juric’s Torino in their inaugural Serie A outing. 

Four years since acquiring ownership of Monza, former Italian Prime Minister and Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi witnessed his new side reach the dizzying heights of Serie A. 

Things did not go as planned in their first top-flight fixture in their 110-year history as Atalanta loanee Aleksey Miranchuk scored on his Torino debut to give the visitors a slender halftime lead. 

Lightning-fast forward Nemanja Radonjic intercepted a botched clearance and served Antonio Sanabria on the silver platter to put the nail in Monza’s coffin just after the hour mark.

Substitute Dany Mota came on to poke home a consolation strike on the rebound with the last kick of the game and get Giovanni Stroppa’s side off the mark in their brand-new experience.