Inter were 2-0 down after 16 minutes, and five different players scored for them
Udinese led the Serie A champions inside a quarter of an hour at San Siro and still lost 5-3. It was Inter’s second two-goal comeback in four league games.
Sep 15, 2026
Inter were 2-0 down at home inside 16 minutes on Monday night and won 5-3. That is the second time in four league games Cristian Chivu’s side have thrown away a two-goal head start and then taken the match back anyway, which is either a sign of ridiculous depth or a defence that needs looking at. Possibly both.
Udinese had the champions rattled
James Abankwah headed Udinese in front on nine minutes. Jurgen Ekkelenkamp made it two on 16 with a finish from close range, and for a quarter of an hour San Siro had the uneasy feeling of a ground watching something go badly wrong.
Carlos Augusto ended that on 26 minutes with a left-footed strike, and Nicolo Barella levelled it on 35 from a tight angle on the right. Two goals in nine minutes, and the half-time whistle went with the scoreboard reading 2-2 and Udinese looking like a side that knew what was coming.
Three more after the break
Marcus Thuram put Inter ahead for the first time on 57 minutes. Francesco Pio Esposito finished a worked move from around 12 yards on 67, and Ange-Yoan Bonny got the fifth on 79. Idrissa Gueye pulled Udinese’s third back in stoppage time, on 90+1, by which point it changed nothing.
Five different scorers in one match is the part of this worth sitting with. Inter did not need Lautaro Martinez to score, they did not need a set-piece, and they did not need a red card to go their way. They just kept having players who could finish.
The comeback habit
The Napoli game on 5 September went the same way. Matteo Politano scored on 50 minutes and Rasmus Hojlund on 53 to put Napoli 2-0 up at San Siro, and Inter won it 3-2 with Lautaro scoring in stoppage time. Twice in four matches now, Inter have spotted a good side two goals and still taken all three points.
Chivu won the Scudetto in his first season in charge, Inter’s 21st, finishing 11 points clear of Napoli. He has said his side are the team to beat this season. Four wins from four says he is right. Six goals conceded in those four games says he has work to do at the other end of it.
Roma are still ahead of them
Inter are second, level with Roma on 12 points, separated only by goal difference. Roma have scored 12 and conceded one. Inter have scored 13 and conceded six. Roma beat Torino 2-0 on the same night without much fuss, which is roughly how their season has gone so far.
Two teams unbeaten, one winning quietly and one winning in a state of permanent emergency. I know which is more fun to watch, and I know which one I would back over 38 games.