Lautaro Martinez netted a stunning long-range goal from 20 meters to open the scoring in Inter’s 2-1 victory over Atalanta during the Serie A match on the evening of November 4th.
Before facing Inter, Atalanta was fourth in the 2023-2024 Serie A standings. They had also impressed with their unbeaten record at home. Continuing their good form, Atalanta started the match positively. After a cross from Davide Zappacosta, Matteo Ruggeri nearly scored with a volley that hit the crossbar for Inter. Berat Djimsiti also came close to scoring for the home team with a wide header.
However, Inter still showed their leadership qualities. In the 40th minute, just seven minutes after coming on as a substitute for Benjamin Pavard, Matteo Darmian was fouled by goalkeeper Juan Musso inside the penalty area. Hakan Calhanoglu then converted a penalty to open the scoring.
After the equalizer, Inter continued to play more effectively. Calhanoglu almost made it 2-0 with a long-range shot saved by Musso, while Federico Dimarco’s shot went wide.
Atalanta changed their formation from three to four defenders, but the home team could not stop Inter’s attack. In the 57th minute, Lautaro Martinez extended Inter’s lead to 2-0. After a dribble from the left wing into the penalty area, the Argentine forward maneuvered past Hans Hateboer and unleashed a shot into the top corner of the goal.
Lautaro Martinez scored his 12th goal in 11 Serie A matches of the 2023-2024 season and his 13th goal in 14 matches across all competitions. He currently leads the Serie A Golden Boot race with over two goals ahead of his closest pursuers, Olivier Giroud and Victor Osimhen, who have six goals each.
After the second goal, Inter suddenly slowed down. In the 61st minute, due to a ball control mistake by Dimarco, Ademola Lookman delivered a cross for Gianluca Scamacca to score from close range, reducing the score to 1-2.
In the final 30 minutes, Atalanta pushed forward in attack. However, their attempts at goal either missed the target or were saved by goalkeeper Yann Sommer. In the 90+2 minute, Atalanta was even reduced to 10 players when Rafael Toloi received his second yellow card for a foul on Alexis Sanchez.
Following their victory over Atalanta, Inter strengthened their position at the top of the table with 28 points. Simone Inzaghi’s team is now five points ahead of second-placed Juventus and has played one more match. Meanwhile, Atalanta, with 19 points, dropped to fifth place in the standings.
In the same round, AC Milan surprisingly lost 0-1 at home to the 16th-placed Udinese. Roberto Pereyra scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the 62nd minute. AC Milan remains in third place with 22 points but is now six points behind Inter.
