Last season’s Serie A champions, Inter Milan, sent a strong signal to their domestic rivals on Friday night regarding their determination and ability to maintain their crown. In the context of the third round of the Italian Championship, the Lombard club easily secured a home victory against Atalanta Bergamo (4-0). This result temporarily puts the Milanese team at the top of Serie A, a position that could be reclaimed by Juventus if they beat Roma at home on Sunday evening (8:45 PM).
Meanwhile, Marcus Thuram took the lead in the league’s top scorer rankings on Friday night with 4 goals, after scoring a brace full of opportunism at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. In the second half, the French international capitalized twice on the lethargy of the Bergamasque defense, springing up to beat Marco Carnesecchi from close range with his right foot (3-0, 47th minute; 4-0, 56th minute). Previously, Thuram, who delivered an excellent performance, played a crucial role in the opening goal, as his cross was inadvertently redirected into his own net by Berat Djimsiti (1-0, 3rd minute). He also hit the post after being sent through on goal (27th minute).
It is worth noting that the other French starter within the Nerazzurri, Benjamin Pavard—who was not selected by Didier Deschamps for the Nations League—also shone. He participated in the beautiful build-up to Inter’s first goal and provided the assist for the second, heading the ball down for Nicolo Barella, who struck it first time with his left foot from the edge of the area, scoring one of the goals of the year in Serie A.
Atalanta 11th this Friday night
The Milanese team could have increased their lead, but Hakan Çalhanoglu saw his splendid free kick effort well saved by Carnesecchi (8th minute), before Henrikh Mkhitaryan (48th minute), Lautaro Martinez (50th minute), and Barella (55th minute) narrowly missed the target… Although the Bergamasque side created a few clear chances, such as a powerful shot from Davide Zappacosta that forced Yann Sommer into a fine reflex save (15th minute), they fully deserve this heavy defeat, as their defense continuously struggled against the pace of Thuram and the Inter’s one-touch play. Tonight, Atalanta rightly sits in 11th place, with only three points from three matches, far from the glory of last season (4th in Serie A, winners of the Europa League).