After being out since February, Martinez announced his return in the sharpest possible way. The early goal immediately tilted the match in Inter’s favour, but it also set the tone for a performance full of conviction and speed. For a team that had entered the international break on a run of three Serie A matches without a win, this was more than a fast start. It was a statement. With the 5-2 victory over Roma, Inter moved nine points clear of AC Milan before their rivals’ meeting with Napoli on Monday. In a title race where momentum can shift quickly, that cushion suddenly looked highly significant.
The Moment The Game Turned
Inter did not need long to show what kind of afternoon this would be. Just 60 seconds had passed at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza when Marcus Thuram slipped the ball into Lautaro Martinez, and the Argentine forward smashed his finish into the roof of the net.
For all of Inter’s bright attacking play, Roma did manage to punch back. In the 40th minute, Gianluca Mancini rose ahead of Thuram to meet Devyne Rensch’s cross, guiding a close-range header beyond Yann Sommer to make it 1-1.
At that point, the game had begun to feel more balanced. Roma were showing enough threat to suggest Inter might be dragged into another uncomfortable afternoon. But then came the swing that changed everything. In the second minute of first-half stoppage time, Hakan Calhanoglu was given far too much room outside the box. The Turkish midfielder punished Roma instantly, whipping a ferocious strike into the top-left corner from 30 yards.
Martinez, Thuram, And A Ruthless Second-Half Burst
Inter returned after the break with even greater sharpness. Seven minutes into the second half, Thuram again became the provider, releasing Martinez for his second goal of the afternoon. This time, the Inter captain showed composure as much as instinct, lofting his shot over the on-rushing Mile Svilar. That made it 3-1, and within minutes the contest was effectively over.
Thuram got his own reward in the 55th minute, glancing home Calhanoglu’s corner with a superb header. Nicolo Barella then added a fifth, driving into the box and picking out the top-left corner after forcing his way through. Roma did find a late reply through Lorenzo Pellegrini, whose low drive beat Sommer with around 20 minutes remaining, but by then it was merely a consolation. Inter had already turned the match into a showcase of attacking precision. A few key moments defined the rout:
What The Numbers Quietly Reveal
The result was impressive enough on its own, but the underlying data made it even more interesting. Inter massively outperformed their expected goals total, finishing with an xG of just 1.17 from 17 shots, nine of them on target. Roma, by comparison, posted 0.96 xG from nine attempts. There were also some striking historical notes:
- This was the ninth time Inter have scored at least five goals against Roma in Serie A.
- No other team has done that more than five times against the Giallorossi, with Juventus next on the list.
- Thuram became the first Inter player since March 4, 2022 to provide two assists for the same team-mate in a Serie A game, the last being Barella for Martinez.