Inter’s habit is turning into a pattern. For the third Serie A match in succession, Cristian Chivu’s side went two goals down inside the first half and then dragged themselves level after the break, this time salvaging a 2-2 draw at Roma on Saturday.
Manu Koné was the man who ran it early. The Roma midfielder hammered in a right-footed opener inside six minutes and doubled the lead in the 37th, this time cutting the ball onto his left. Two goals, two feet, and Gian Piero Gasperini’s team went in at the interval with a comfortable cushion.
Lautaro Martínez needed less than a minute of the second half to change the game. The Argentine pulled one back moments after the restart and then finished the job in the 79th minute to complete a rescue act Inter now perform on repeat.
Chivu keeps his half-time speech in-house
Whatever Chivu said to his players in the dressing room at the break, it worked.
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“I’ll start from the second half, as I told the players what I thought of that during the half-time break and it remains between us,” he told DAZN Italia.
“I will focus on the second half, which in terms of attitude, grit and character was remarkable.”
The Inter head coach did concede where his side went wrong before it.
“We’ve got to do better with our initial approach, with understanding the intensity of the opponents.”
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Chivu framed the result in the context of the venue.
“It remains a good point in a difficult place for anyone to play.”
Three straight comebacks from 2-0 down
The comeback story is no longer a one-off. Inter had already come from 2-0 down to beat Napoli 3-2 and to overturn a two-goal deficit at home to Udinese in a 5-3 win. That makes three consecutive league matches in which the reigning Italian champions have shipped the first two goals and refused to lose.
The flip side is a defensive one. Inter have now conceded eight goals in five league games, a total that will keep Chivu’s back line under scrutiny even as his forwards keep hauling the team out of holes. Both of Inter’s equalising goals in Rome were scored by Martínez.
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Gasperini takes the positives
Gasperini, whose Roma had won their opening four fixtures, spread his verdict between what his team did well and what got away from them. The Italian took Koné and Gianluca Mancini off in the 60th minute, a change that came just as Inter’s momentum began to build.
“I think we played on level terms, both teams could’ve won at different points,” Gasperini told DAZN Italia.
“Scoring the goal straight after the restart was an energy booster for a great Inter team.”
“There is a lot of positivity in this side and we should continue along this path.”
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Roma sit top of Serie A on goal difference with 13 points from five games, level with Inter, with Cagliari one point back on 12. Both leaders next play in matchweek six after the international break.
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