Venezia scored both goals in Venice, and Inter go into the Milan derby level with Lazio on 25 points
Two Venezia own goals in the last ten minutes gave Inter a 2-0 win their coach admitted was lucky, and their best nine-game total of the three-points era.
Oct 29, 2026
Inter did not score a goal of their own in Venice on Wednesday night, and they still won 2-0. Matías Moreno turned a Marcus Thuram cross into his own net late on, and a few minutes later Redouane Halhal deflected in Carlos Augusto’s header from a Hakan Çalhanoğlu corner.
The three points take Cristian Chivu’s side to 25 from nine games, level with Lazio at the top of Serie A. The club say it is their best total after nine matchdays since Serie A moved to three points for a win.
Venezia had the chances
For most of the evening, the side at the bottom of the table looked the more likely to win it. Akor Adams headed wide early on, and Ivan Provedel saved an Adams shot. Lion Lauberbach put in the rebound of a Kike Pérez free kick and was flagged offside. Lauberbach then hit the crossbar himself from a Helgason cross before half-time.
Gianluca Busio, on as a substitute, shot over from close range in the second half, and on 72 minutes Adams went round Provedel and scored, only for that to be ruled out for offside as well. Thuram had Inter’s best moment before the goals when he headed off target.
Chivu had seen enough by the interval. He took off Yann Bisseck, Petar Sučić and Aleksandar Stanković, who was making his first Inter start, and sent on Manuel Akanji, Nicolò Barella and Çalhanoğlu. It was Çalhanoğlu’s corner that made it 2-0.
“We were lucky”
Chivu did not pretend otherwise. “We were a little fortunate to win today,” he told the club’s website. “We kept believing and gave what we had, but we were lucky.” He said his team lacked energy, were slow and were caught out by Venezia’s low block, and that the group needs “an extra spark”.
He also had a warning for anyone reading too much into the table. “Seasons are long, and we know that what we’ve done in the past no longer counts,” he said.
That is a sensible line for a coach who watched Club Brugge win 4-3 at San Siro in the Champions League this month. In Serie A, though, Inter have not lost yet: eight wins and a draw.
Lazio scored six the night before
Inter needed the win because Lazio had won 6-2 at Sassuolo on Tuesday. Gennaro Gattuso’s side were 4-2 up at half-time against ten men after Kristian Thorstvedt was sent off, and Tijjani Noslin added two more after the break. It could have been eight. Stefano Turati saved second-half penalties from Mattia Zaccagni and Davide Frattesi.
The two leaders have the same record and the same goal difference. Inter sit first on goals scored, 25 to Lazio’s 22.
Davide Nicola’s Venezia stay bottom with three points.
The derby is next
Inter play Milan at San Siro on Saturday, with kick-off at 1:15am IST on Sunday. Ruben Amorim’s side are fifth, seven points behind, and they lost 4-2 at home to Bologna on the same night Inter won in Venice. Inter have won four league games in a row. I would not read too much into one flat night in Venice, but Chivu will want that extra spark back by Saturday.