Chris Smalling headed home a late winner at San Siro as Jose Mourinho’s Roma came from behind to beat Inter Milan and climb to 4th in the Serie A table.
AS Roma sealed a 2-1 comeback victory away from home at San Siro in the Serie A on Saturday afternoon, as Paulo Dybala’s powerful volley and a Chris Smalling header overturned Federico Dimarco’s opener in what was a tactical masterclass from Jose Mourinho’s side.
The Nerazzurri managed just two shots on target despite dominating for long stretches. They were punished by a well-drilled defensive Roma side that kept them at arm’s length while forcing them to take wayward efforts from distance.
Inter thought they had broken the deadlock early when veteran Edin Dzeko scored in the 11th minute as Roma’s backline crumbled, but his goal was chalked off by VAR for offside.
The first goal eventually came after 30 minutes when Nicolo Barella drifted inside and rolled a perfect pass to the unmarked Federico Dimarco, whose low strike took a deflection off keeper Rui Patricio but still managed to cross the goal-line.
However, Roma responded with an equalizer within 10 minutes of the opener. Inter gave the ball away cheaply while trying to play out from the back, and Leonardo Spinazzola’s cross found Dybala completely unmarked for a powerful left-foot volley from 11 yards, twisting back Samir Handanovic’s hands in goal for Inter.
Roma have beaten Inter Milan for the first time since the 2016/17 season.
To put that into perspective, Salah and Rudiger started for Roma in that game while Francesco Totti was on the bench. pic.twitter.com/FfuqaNhelT
— IM (@Iconic_Mourinho) October 1, 2022
Former Manchester United defender Chris Smalling leapt highest to head home Lorenzo Pellegrini’s free-kick, while he was also heroic in defence with a vital headed clearance in stoppage time, ensuring Roma beat Inter for the first time since February 2017 and moved up to fourth in Serie A.
Inter now have only two wins in six Serie A games, with the pressure mounting on Inter boss Simone Inzaghi. The Hard Tackle now looks at how the Inter Milan players fared on the night.
Samir Handanovic: 5/10
Handanovic was very inconsistent with his goalkeeping throughout the game. He did make a few good stops, including two straight great saves before conceding a poor goal from Dybala’s power shot, despite getting a strong hand to it.
A world-class level goalie like Handanovic really should be saving those. He was very deep with his positioning and needs to do better with his technique. He did not complete a single long ball throughout the game, demonstrating poor distribution.
Milan Skriniar: 5/10
Skriniar was actually playing well until Smalling totally bullied him in the air, and out-jumped the Slovenian centre-back to score the game-winning goal from a free-kick. He made 3 clearances, and 2 tackles, completed 4 of his 6 attempted long balls and had a passing rate of 94%, but all of his hard work was undone by that one moment. Harsh.
Francesco Acerbi: 6/10
In his second consecutive start, Acerbi was rather solid at the heart of the back-three. He didn’t let anyone past him in one-on-one opportunities and had a good grip on Zaniolo. His distribution was impeccable, but he squandered a beautiful open header on a free kick. While he added a little experience to the back line, the defensive organisation needed to be better on both goals.
Alessandro Bastoni: 6.5/10
Bastoni produced a decent display on the left side of defence, making 2 tackles, 3 interceptions, and one vital block. He neutralised Zeki Celik’s attacking output and basically shut down Roma’s right channel. He was fairly solid in the box on Roma’s set-pieces and was the better of the Inter defenders, but that’s not a compliment in any sense.
Denzel Dumfries: 5/10
A quiet performance down the flank from Dumfries, who looked like the most menacing player on the field early on, making excellent runs down the flanks. However, as the game progressed, he became increasingly erratic before being rightly hooked off the pitch.
Federico Dimarco: 8/10
After a slow start to the match, Dimarco made an incisive run into the box, where he received a neat pass from Nicolo Barella on the edge of the Roma box and slips his first-time, pinpoint shot into the bottom corner to put his side up 1-0. He also played some dangerous deliveries into the opposition box.
Nicolo Barella: 8/10
Nicolò Barella ?? – Inter Milan vs Roma (Serie A)
Minutes played: 90
Touches: 76
Assists: 1
Chances created: 2
Pass accuracy: 82%
Successful dribbles: 0/1
Dispossessed: 0Tackles won: 2/3
Recoveries: 5
Ground duels won: 5/8 pic.twitter.com/kYClU0nZAT— Tom (@Tom1000j) October 1, 2022
The Italian international cranked on the flair and demonstrated why he is so highly regarded. Barella showed plenty of energy and creativity, providing the assist for the opener. He was at his finest, creating opportunities and shutting down Roma’s midfielders off the ball. There is no better time for Barella to find his groove than now, when his team requires him the most, with most of their big players underperforming.
Hakan Calhanoglu: 7/10
Calhanoglu was somewhat quiet and did not create much from open play, but his execution on free kicks and corners was magnificent. He whipped in balls with perfect accuracy, creating multitudes of chances. His screamer fizzed just wide of the upright, while he tested Rui Patricio from range once again in the first half.
However, the Turk came the closest in the 63rd minute when his free kick bounced off the crossbar with Rui Patricio well beaten.
Kristjan Asllani: 6.5/10
Asllani brings something different to this Inter side. He had the difficult task of replacing Marcelo Brozovic in front of the defence, and he looked solid. He can defend, distribute and attack at such a high level.
While it was always going to be a difficult match for the 20-year-old, he displayed his exceptional work rate, was always showing for the ball, kept his passes crisp and clean, and struck a gorgeous curving shot that almost put Inter ahead.
Edin Dzeko: 5/10
Edin Dzeko had the ball in the net from 12 yards following a chaotic sequence, but VAR denied the goal for offside in what could’ve been his 100th Serie A goal. He was anonymous thereafter and was not involved in anything of note at all, failing to register a single shot throughout the game.
Lautaro Martinez: 6/10
It was a frustrating afternoon for the Argentine international, who struggled without service despite Inter having the lion’s share of possession. He frequently had to drop into the midfield zone to aid his team in moving forward with more direct build-up play.
He was well-marshalled by Smalling & co., who offered him no space to have a real sniff at Roma’s goal. His early header was straight at Rui Patricio, while he curled his other shot over from a promising position.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Joaquin Correa: N/A
He came on for Calhanoglu but did not quite make a difference. Only 6 touches.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: N/A
He replaced Asllani in the 77th minute but did not really make an impact. Had one shot blocked.
Robin Gosens: N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
Raoul Bellanova: N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
Valentin Carboni: N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
