Inter have done it again.
For the third consecutive Serie A match, Cristian Chivu’s side found themselves two goals behind — and once again, they refused to stay down. This time, the comeback came at the Stadio Olimpico against Roma, as Lautaro Martínez scored twice in the second half to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 2-2 draw.
Roma looked firmly in control after a dominant first half, with Manu Koné scoring twice. But Inter returned from the break with a completely different attitude, and Lautaro once again became the man to rescue the champions.
The draw means both teams remain unbeaten after five league matches, although both dropped points for the first time this season.
Roma strike twice before half-time
The match had all the ingredients of an early-season Serie A statement game.
Roma and Inter entered the contest with perfect records, making their meeting at the Olimpico a genuine top-of-the-table clash. The hosts needed only six minutes to make their advantage count.
Paulo Dybala delivered the ball into the area, Nahuel Molina headed it back across goal and Manu Koné found himself in the right place at the right time.
The French midfielder controlled the situation and fired past Josep Martínez to give Roma a 1-0 lead.
Inter responded.
Yann Bisseck had an opportunity that was stopped by Mile Svilar, while Lautaro Martínez was unable to convert Federico Dimarco’s delivery. Alessandro Bastoni also came close, hitting the outside of the post.
The chances suggested Inter were still in the game.
But Roma had the final word before the interval.
In the 37th minute, Koné appeared inside the penalty area once again and scored his second goal of the night. VAR checked the build-up for a possible offside, but the goal stood.
Roma 2-0 Inter.
At half-time, the champions had a serious problem to solve.
Chivu gets the reaction he wanted
Whatever Cristian Chivu told his players during the interval, Inter emerged from the dressing room with an immediate response.
The visitors needed only seconds after the restart to get back into the match.
Marcus Thuram sent the ball across the face of goal, and Lautaro Martínez was there to finish.
2-1.
Suddenly, the entire complexion of the match changed.
Roma were no longer comfortably protecting a two-goal advantage. Inter were pushing forward, winning second balls and looking increasingly dangerous around Svilar’s goal.
Chivu’s team had already shown this season that a two-goal deficit does not necessarily mean the match is over.
Against Roma, they were about to prove it once again.
Lautaro Martínez does it again
Roma still had opportunities to restore their two-goal advantage.
Donyell Malen came close, producing a powerful effort that struck Josep Martínez in the face. But Inter continued to apply pressure.
With 11 minutes remaining, the equaliser finally arrived.
Mile Svilar initially denied Thuram’s header. Moments later, Lautaro hit the crossbar. The ball stayed alive, however, and Roma failed to clear the danger.
Lautaro controlled the ball with his thigh before firing a volley into the net.
Roma 2-2 Inter.
The Argentine had done it again.
Two goals in the second half. Another comeback. Another night in which Inter had looked beaten before finding a way back into the game.
Thuram almost completed the turnaround late on, but his effort went just wide.
The comeback was complete — but Inter had to settle for one point.
Three straight comebacks from 0-2
What makes Inter’s latest result particularly remarkable is the pattern.
This was not an isolated comeback.
It was the third consecutive Serie A match in which Inter recovered from a two-goal deficit.
| Match | Deficit | Final score |
|---|---|---|
| Inter vs Napoli | 0-2 | 3-2 |
| Inter vs Udinese | 0-2 | 5-3 |
| Roma vs Inter | 2-0 | 2-2 |
Against Napoli and Udinese, the comebacks ended in victories.
Against Roma, Inter recovered a point.
The sequence highlights one of the defining features of Chivu’s Inter so far this season: the team has repeatedly shown the ability to respond after difficult starts.
But there is another side to the story.
Inter have now been forced to chase games far too often.
Lautaro is at the heart of the comebacks
If there is one player who has repeatedly appeared at the centre of Inter’s fightbacks, it is Lautaro Martínez.
Against Roma, the captain scored both of Inter’s goals.
The first came almost immediately after half-time and gave the visitors belief. The second completed the comeback with just over ten minutes remaining.
His influence goes beyond the goals themselves.
Lautaro has become the focal point of an Inter side that repeatedly needs someone to change the momentum of a match.
After the Roma draw, however, the Argentine also highlighted the other side of Inter’s performance: the team cannot continue relying on comebacks every time it falls behind.
That message is particularly relevant after three straight matches featuring a two-goal deficit.
Roma let a perfect night slip away
From Roma’s perspective, the draw will feel very different.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s team produced an excellent first half and appeared to have the defending champions exactly where they wanted them.
A 2-0 lead at half-time against one of Serie A’s strongest sides was an opportunity to make a major statement.
Instead, Roma conceded twice after the break and had to settle for a draw.
The result also ended Roma’s run of nine consecutive Serie A victories. They remain unbeaten in 15 league matches at the Olimpico, but this was a game in which three points were within reach.
Gasperini nevertheless pointed to positives after the match, stressing that both teams had opportunities to win the game.
Inter’s comeback mentality is becoming a storyline
Three comebacks from 0-2 in succession are difficult to ignore.
The results against Napoli, Udinese and Roma have created a clear narrative around Chivu’s Inter.
When the champions fall behind, the match is not necessarily over.
But the same sequence also raises an important question: how sustainable is this approach?
A team competing at the top of Serie A cannot expect to recover from two-goal deficits every week.
The defensive problems that have contributed to these slow starts will inevitably attract attention, particularly because Inter have ambitions of competing at the highest level throughout the season.
Chivu’s half-time intervention against Roma produced the desired response. The bigger challenge will be preventing the same situation from developing in the first place.
A draw that keeps both teams at the top
The 2-2 draw brought the first dropped points of the season for both Roma and Inter.
After five matches, the two sides remained level on 13 points, with Lazio joining them at the top of the table after their victory over Venezia. Roma remained ahead of Inter on goal difference.
That makes the result particularly significant.
Neither team lost ground completely, but neither maintained a perfect record.
And for Inter, the most important takeaway may be psychological: once again, the team showed that it can recover from a difficult position against one of its direct rivals.
Inter refuse to stay down
There was a moment at half-time when Roma looked to have everything under control.
Two goals ahead at home, with Inter struggling to turn possession into clear chances, the hosts appeared to be heading towards another important victory.
Instead, Lautaro Martínez changed the story.
One goal became two.
Two became a draw.
And another Inter comeback was born.
For the third time in a row, Chivu’s team had fallen two goals behind in Serie A and still found a way to recover.
This time, there was no winning goal.
But there was another demonstration of Inter’s remarkable ability to stay alive in a match.
The next challenge for Chivu is perhaps even more important: turning the comeback mentality into a team that does not need to come back so often.
