Inter snake way to Serie A standings top as Napoli poor form continues

 ROME – New leaders of the pack following the conclusion of Serie A game week 11, which saw Napoli lose, while Roma and Internazionale of Milan both won their matches to move to the top of the table, with the Nerazzuri in first place on a better goal difference.

 The shock of the week came as Bologna beat Napoli 2-0. Napoli entered the game week at the top of the table, however stumbled against Bologna, who are in fifth. Bologna opened scoring in the 50^th minute with a Thijs Dallinga finish at the front post and shortly doubled it in the 66^th with a header from Jhon Lucumi. This Bologna victory means that Napoli have not won a match in the last three games across all competitions, marking a shift in their form from the start of the season.

 Continuing the theme of 2-0 wins, both Inter and AS Roma gained three points as they beat Lazio and Udinese respectively.

 Inter hosted Lazio at the San Siro. They were the dominant team and showed it by opening scoring almost instantly in the 3^rd minute with a curling strike from captain Lautaro Martinez. Lazio came close to scoring in the 18^th minute; however, the strike went over the top of the net. From then on Inter seemed to be on the attack, yet neither team could find another goal in the first half as it ended 1-0.

 The second half initially was much of the same with Inter dominating, until the breakthrough came when the Nerazzuri exploited Lazio’s poor defending as a perfectly placed Ange-Yoan Bonny scored a tap in from Federico Dimarco’s cross in the 62^nd minute.

 VAR decisions marked the last 25 minutes of the game. Inter thought they had scored a third in the 66^th minute, however the goal was ruled out due to a Dimarco handball in the build-up. Lazio then seemed to spark to life. Awarded a free kick from just outside of the box, Lazio’s Oliver Provstgaard received the ball with a glancing header. However, the header hit the underside of the crossbar before bouncing into goalkeeper Yann Sommer’s arms. A VAR review showed the ball had not fully crossed the line and thus was not a goal. The match ended 2-0, ending Lazio’s six-match unbeaten run and giving Inter the points needed to move to the top of the table.

 AS Roma hosted Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico in an attempt to move top of the table. The Giallorossi and the visitors both started the match off as they intended to go on, hungry for goals and on the attack. Both teams had several shots at the net, which either narrowly missed or were denied by the goalkeepers, with Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar making an incredible save against a powerful Udinese strike.

 The breakthrough came thanks to a Lorenzo Pellegrini penalty. The penalty was awarded due to an Udinese handball within the box. The Roma captain stepped up to the spot and fired the ball into the bottom corner, sending the Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye the other way.

 The second half saw Roma continue to be the stronger team, although the intense attacking energy from the first half seemed to wane slightly. In the 61^st minute, Mehmet Zeki Çelik scored his first goal for the Giallorossi thanks to a tiki taka with Gianluca Mancini. The match ended 2-0, to give Roma three points. However, their win was not enough to move them top of the table, as Inter has a better goal difference.

 Elsewhere in Serie A, Pisa vs Cremonese ended 1-0 and Atalanta vs Sassuolo finished 0-3.

 The majority of matches ended in draws, including the Turin derby between Juventus and Torino, which finished with a goalless 0-0. Genoa vs Fiorentina finished 2-2, with Fiorentina yet to see a win this season. Como vs Cagliari and Lecce vs Verona both also finished 0-0.

 Serie A is now subject to a 10 day pause due to the international break.

 khg