In this five-goal thriller, Inter came back from Ademola Lookman’s penalty thanks to an outstanding Edin Dzeko brace and a Jose Luis Palomino own goal, but it’s Atalanta’s third straight loss.
In the final game of 2022, both teams were tied for fifth place with 27 points. After rotating the team for a midweek loss to Lecce, La Dea brought back their star players. However, Luis Muriel, Marten de Roon, and Davide Zappacosta were still sidelined. Jose Luis Palomino returned to competition after failing a doping test in July because Rafael Toloi withdrew during the warm-up.
Romelu Lukaku, Matteo Darmian, and Danilo D’Ambrosio were all absent for the Nerazzurri, and Marcelo Brozovic is still not healthy enough to start.
After only managing five draws and two losses against Inter since November 2018, Atalanta was seeking their first victory over Inter since that time.
The long Andre Onana ball was controlled by a sensational Federico Dimarco first touch, but he was unable to apply enough force to defeat Juan Musso.
Teun Koopmeiners’ chest shot and half-volley at the back post forced a one-handed Onana save, and on the ensuing corner, the stopper stopped Palomino’s unassisted header. Ademola Lookman scored the opening goal for Atalanta after Stefan de Vrij tripped up Duvan Zapata to earn a penalty.
With their first real chance, Inter equalised when Hakan Calhanoglu’s cross was flicked on by Lautaro Martinez for Edin Dzeko to score from six yards with the outside of the foot while anticipating his defender and Juan Musso.
After the restart, Ruslan Malinovskyi entered the game, and both teams had chances, with Duvan Zapata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan coming the closest to scoring.
When Dzeko and Joakim Maehle both slid in to bunt the ball over the line at the back post after Dimarco swung in a ball from the left, Inter completely turned the game around.
The third goal was assisted by Lautaro Martinez, whose header from a Calhanoglu corner was deflected from close range by Palomino who was trying to anticipate Dzeko. Lautaro Martinez previously had also skimmed the crossbar.
When Palomino again headed into the right goal from a corner, Atalanta was able to get back into the game after Lautaro Martinez’s free header fell short of making full contact.
Hans Hateboer was in a better position directly behind Rasmus Hojlund when he nodded the ball over. In stoppage time, Malinovskyi’s shot was charged down, and Koopmeiners’ header was smothered by Onana.
With a 3-2 victory over Atalanta, Inter ends the World Cup by climbing into the top four of Serie A. Ademola Lookman gave the home team the lead from the penalty spot, forcing the Nerazzurri to come from behind to win. From Federico Dimarco’s cross, Edin Dzeko scored from close range to tie the score and then added another to give the visitors the lead.
After making his way back into the lineup, Jose Luis Palomino conceded an own goal before making up for it by scoring at the other end to create a tense finish. However, Simone Inzaghi’s team persevered to record their sixth victory in seven games, while Atalanta lost their third straight game, jeopardising their chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
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