Inter Milan pulled off a dramatic comeback at San Siro, overturning a two-goal deficit to edge past struggling Monza 3-2 and strengthen their grip at the top of Serie A.
The victory moved the Nerazzurri four points ahead of Napoli, who have a chance to reduce the gap when they host Fiorentina on Sunday.
Bottom-placed Monza, with just two league wins this season, shocked the home crowd in the 32nd minute when Samuele Birindelli finished clinically after a neat exchange with Dany Mota.
Inter, eager to respond, continued pressing forward but were hit again when Keita Balde, celebrating his 30th birthday, curled in a brilliant strike following an assist from Mota.
However, Monza’s hopes of taking a two-goal lead into halftime were dashed in stoppage time. Henrikh Mkhitaryan delivered a precise cross into the area, allowing Denzel Dumfries to head the ball across the six-yard box for Marko Arnautovic to scramble home.
Inter carried their momentum into the second half and found the equalizer in the 64th minute. A headed clearance fell to Yann Bisseck, who set up Hakan Calhanoglu for a first-time drive into the bottom corner.
From that point, Monza struggled to hold on, with Inter relentlessly pushing for a winner. Their persistence paid off in the 77th minute when Giorgos Kyriakopoulos, under pressure from Lautaro Martinez, inadvertently turned the ball over his own goal line. Goal-line technology confirmed the Greek defender’s costly mistake.
Inter had further chances to increase their lead, but Marcus Thuram struck the post from close range, while Stefano Turati produced an excellent diving save to deny Calhanoglu a second goal.
Historic Day for Milan Clubs
Inter’s comeback mirrored the drama seen earlier in the day, as city rivals AC Milan also battled back from 2-0 down to beat Lecce 3-2.
This marked the first time in Serie A history that both Milan giants have overturned two-goal deficits to win on the same matchday.
Though Martinez didn’t find the net, his relentless pressure contributed to Monza’s decisive own goal. The Argentine has now secured 150 Serie A victories—all with Inter—making him the division’s winningest player since his debut in 2018-19.
