Inter put on a show of force by crushing Atalanta 4-0 with Marcus Thuram scoring two and a half goals along with a spectacular Nicolò Barella volley.
Lautaro Martinez returned from a muscular injury, leaving only Tajon Buchanan on the treatment table. La Dea on the other hand were struggling without Isak Hien, Sead Kolasinac, Nicolò Zaniolo, Ibrahim Sulemana, Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini, while Ademola Lookman only resumed training on Wednesday following a transfer dispute.
See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.
Matteo Darmian slipped as he tried to tap in a Federico Dimarco ball flashed across the face of goal, but it was a different slip that proved decisive moments later.
Marcus Thuram was trying to roll it across for Lautaro Martinez, but it took a deflection off Berat Djimsiti to completely wrong-foot Marco Carnesecchi at the near post.
The goalkeeper was ready to parry a ferocious Hakan Calhanoglu touched-on free kick from outside the area, but could do nothing moments later on the astonishing Barella volley with the left boot from the edge of the box into the top corner.
Atalanta hit back, but Yann Sommer flew to get one hand to the Davide Zappacosta screamer and Mateo Retegui couldn’t steer the rebound on target.
Thuram should’ve passed to Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the counter, but his shot was deflected off Djimsiti to bounce off the post into the arms of Carnesecchi.
Samardzic scuffed wide from the edge of the area when relatively unmarked on the Marco Brescianini pass, but Atalanta’s possession and probing made little dent in the home defence.
Within seconds of the restart, Thuram’s inspired pass had sent Mkhitaryan clear only to drill wide, but it was a mere warning for what would be another Inter goal.
A long Alessandro Bastoni throw-in was only headed straight up into the air by Djimsiti and Thuram was quickest to react to toe-poke in from six yards.
Lautaro Martinez saw his volley into the ground bounce just wide of the far post from a Federico Dimarco cross, but Thuram pounced again on a loose ball from seven yards after an initial Calhanoglu corner was not cleared to complete his Inter brace.
Samardzic saw his effort charged down by desperate Francesco Acerbi defending to keep that Inter clean sheet and Lautaro Martinez turned wide on a long Barella ball over the top. Dimarco also tapped in from close range, but was narrowly offside.
Inter really should’ve had more in the final minutes, but Marko Arnautovic was first too altruistic in trying to give it back to Mehdi Taremi when sent clear on goal, then somehow turned a Kristian Asllani cross over from a couple of yards on the resulting corner.
Inter 4-0 Atalanta
Djimsiti and 4 (I), Barella 10 (I), Thuram 47, 56 (I)
