What unites Inter and Roma beyond the league table

The ball that, in the 52nd minute of Inter v Napoli, slowly rolled towards the touchline – without leaving the pitch – following a clearance by Alessandro Bastoni, would have been the perfect image to immortalise a dazzling third matchday of Serie A. If only Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s timely low cross – he was the first to pounce on the loose ball – and Rasmus Højlund’s left-footed finish had been followed by the Azzurri victory that had been building up to that point.

However, there was still room on the league film roll to take two more shots, and just as in the 1980s when collecting the photos from the photographer (back before the 25-minute instant prints with white borders and date stamps, oblivious to their ‘no future’), it turned out that two shots had been superimposed, merged, and captured together in a single click. Inter, in fact, managed to secure victory in the headline match at the very last gasp, thanks to their most iconic star; much the same was happening, 600 kilometres away, in the Roma v Atalanta match.

The two frontrunners win in the same way, with heart and strength, after having been behind and faced the prospect of defeat, perhaps even a touch of bad luck (Santiago Castro hitting the woodwork – who knows if he’d be playing alongside Donyell Malen). Alongside Real Como’s ‘Galacticos’, Cristian Chivu’s and Gian Piero Gasperini’s teams have been the defining feature of these first three matchdays: and right here on the lakeside, comparisons are rife with Gasp’s finest Atalanta side, whilst some recall that Luka Modrić began his career as a true number 10 attacking midfielder, just like his compatriot Martin Baturina, now the tournament’s best player.

The match replays of the two big fixtures reveal the details: having turned the tide against the Neapolitans, the Nerazzurri pressed right until the end, even taking considerable risks through Lorenzo Lucca and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa. But as the 90th minute ticked over, Curtis Jones whipped in a cross from the edge of the final third: Marcus Thuram missed the ball, a dangerous scramble ensued near Alex Meret, Ange-Yoann Bonny found the gap to set up Lautaro Martínez waiting at the far post, who slid in with his left foot to make it 3–2.

At the Stadio Olimpico, a brilliant yet doomed Roma side vent their fury in a comeback against Maurizio Sarri’s competitive Atalanta. In the 89th minute, a left-wing corner taken by Matías Soulé finds Mario Hermoso rising highest in the box; the Giallorossi lob beats Marco Carnesecchi, who had been unbeatable until then. It is 1–1, and just three minutes later, in stoppage time, Soulé—an Argentine like Lautaro—doubles the lead.

A goal that bears a close resemblance to one scored by Alphadjo Cissé – his second in Serie A – which put Milan ahead following a solo run, as he danced along the byline before cutting back onto his stronger foot. Before Juventus’ equaliser – again, after the 90th minute – which thwarted Milan’s potential rise beyond their own merits. A sign that individual solutions and the coaches’ instructions are gradually converging towards unified attacking models.

Venezia and Fiorentina, on the other hand, are struggling; Bologna and Parma are also having a tough time, despite home draws against young, well-organised sides such as Sassuolo and Monza. Stories of former players: Gasperini and Atalanta, Antonio Raimondo and Venezia, Matteo Politano and Inter. Making headlines is the applause from the Viola supporters’ stand for Rolando Mandragora, scorer of yet another marvellous goal, who just a few months ago was at the centre of the drama surrounding the penalty in Reggio Emilia. A rebuke.

It is a testament to how much the then rightly maligned Fiorentina – with Pietro Comuzzo and Niccolò Fortini, who are also now with Torino – would beat the current, even more hyped side, once again under the management of Paolo Vanoli following Fabio Grosso’s sacking. Grosso has lost every match he has managed in the top flight, excluding his spell at Sassuolo: he is one of the many 2006 World Cup winners – already on Paolo Maldini’s national team – who, as managers, have won only a third of their Serie A matches.