The eighth week of Serie A brings no changes at the top of the standings, as Inter overturn Fiorentina and win in the 97th minute. A dramatic end to the match, with goals from Thuram and Zielinski from the penalty spot, nullifies Jimenez's wonderful goal and gives the team of technician Chivu a 2-1 victory. Thus, Lazio and Inter remain at the top of the standings with 22 points each.
The leaders bring back Pio Esposito to the lineup, activated alongside Thuram, while Provedel plays in goal. For the former Lazio goalkeeper, this is the first match as a starter, but he is guilty of the action of conceding the goal. Inter starts the match slowly at “Meazza”, while Fiorentina exerts high pressure and closes every space. Mastantuono and Njie appear well on the wings. Inter only comes to life around the 30th minute and increases the pressure, becoming dangerous with Mkhitaryan and Carlos Augusto. However, Thuram is the real engine of the black and blue attack. The French striker puts goalkeeper De Gea in difficulty, who makes excellent saves against him and Pio Esposito at the end of the first half. Only the goalkeeper saves Fiorentina from conceding a goal, while the teams go to the break with the score 0-0, amid several protests for a suspicious touch by Pongracic inside the area.
The second half begins with the Croatian injured and another chance for Thuram, who once again tests goalkeeper De Gea. Inter continues to attack and create chances, but fails to be concrete and score. Vanoli is angry at the pressure of the black and blues, but celebrates in the 64th minute. Jimenez suddenly breaks out, shoots from outside the area with effect and beats Provedel. Thus, Fiorentina unexpectedly takes a 1-0 lead, with the goalkeeper responsible for the goal. The former Lazio goalkeeper is outside the goal line and in the wrong position, failing to read the difficult trajectory of the ball.
For the seventh time this season, Inter find themselves at a disadvantage and throw themselves into attack, with a lot of momentum but little clarity in the game. Bonny gives new energy to the offensive department, Thuram protests a penalty that seemed clear, while Carlos Augusto hits the crossbar twice. The Italian champions' shots go to 26, but the goal does not come, while Gnonto is close to doubling the score. Provedel manages to deflect the ball into a corner kick. Chivu risks activating an attacking trio, with Lavelli from the U23 team, and it is in the extra minutes that his players manage to equalize. Thuram, Inter's best player, scores with a precise shot, like in billiards, setting the score at 1-1.
It's the 90th minute and there are still six minutes left in the game, during which anything can happen. In the last seconds of the match, Valdepeñas brings down Thuram inside the area and causes a penalty. Zielinski goes to the penalty spot, who makes no mistake and scores the winning goal 2-1 at the last moment. Thus, Inter wins in the 97th minute, overturning another result in the last 15 minutes of the match. It's a victory of character for the nigre-alte, who maintain the top of Serie A. A week before the derby, the Italian champions lead with 22 points, tied with Lazio. The top pair is confirmed, now with four points more than Roma and five more than Como. Fiorentina remains in penultimate place, with only four points. Udinese, Genoa and Parma are also in the same position, awaiting today's matches.
