Inter Milan took a significant step toward clinching the Serie A title by defeating AS Roma 5-2 on Sunday. This victory ended a recent slump for Inter and extended their lead at the top of the table to nine points.
AC Milan, the closest challengers, are set to face champions Napoli on Monday, aiming to find a way to halt Inter’s pursuit of their 21st league title. The return of Lautaro Martinez, who scored two goals after nearly two months out due to injury, was crucial in this match. Marcus Thuram also contributed with his first goal since early February, helping Inter bounce back decisively.
Before this match, Inter had only secured eight points from their previous five league outings since Martinez’s calf injury sustained against Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League. Reflecting on the game, Martinez expressed the importance of attitude and personality, emphasizing that the win was well-deserved for the team.
Hakan Calhanoglu added to the scoreline with a spectacular long-range goal just before halftime, which followed Gianluca Mancini’s equalizer with a header for Roma. Nicolo Barella’s goal later secured the victory for Inter and dealt another blow to Roma’s Champions League ambitions.
Currently, Roma occupies the sixth spot in the standings, three points behind Como in fourth place, while level with Juventus. Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini acknowledged his team’s mixed performance, noting that although there were positive aspects, the final scoreline overshadowed them. He stated that losing to Inter could happen, but not by such a large margin.
Martinez’s return significantly improved Inter’s performance. He opened the scoring within the first minute, converting a pass from Thuram. Calhanoglu’s powerful strike restored Inter’s lead just before halftime, energizing the team for the second half.
The second half saw Inter extend their dominance shortly after the restart, with Martinez scoring his 16th league goal of the season. A perfect header from Thuram soon followed, further emphasizing Inter’s control over the match. Barella capitalized on defensive mistakes from Roma to secure the fifth goal, rendering Pellegrini’s late goal for Roma inconsequential.
In the relegation battle, Cremonese fell into the drop zone after a 2-1 defeat to Bologna, while Pisa’s situation worsened with a 1-0 loss at home to Torino.