Inter Milan showcased their dominance with a convincing 3-1 victory over Parma at San Siro, thanks to standout performances from Federico Dimarco, Nicolò Barella, and Marcus Thuram.
The match came after Inter had a game in hand due to a previous fixture against Fiorentina being interrupted by a medical emergency. As they prepared for an upcoming Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen, the team was without key players including Francesco Acerbi, Benjamin Pavard, and goalkeeper Antonio Di Gennaro. Parma, fresh off a victory against Lazio, faced their own challenges with several injuries, including the season-ending injury to Gabriel Charpentier.
The game began with Inter being awarded a penalty just eight minutes in, but it was overturned to a free kick after VAR review determined that Mandela Keita had fouled Lautaro Martinez just outside the box. Hakan Calhanoglu’s subsequent free kick narrowly missed the target. Parma’s woes continued as Botond Balogh was forced off due to injury, and Thuram’s corner attempt was deflected over the bar. Denzel Dumfries came close to scoring with a shot that hit the woodwork following clever back-heel passes from Martinez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Inter’s Lautaro Martinez had a goal disallowed for offside in the 18th minute, while Mkhitaryan and Parma’s Simon Sohm both missed opportunities to score. The breakthrough came when Dimarco executed a brilliant piece of skill to convert Mkhitaryan’s assist into a goal. Shortly after, Barella doubled the lead with a well-timed run and finish, which was initially ruled offside but later confirmed as valid by VAR.
Despite Inter’s control, Parma managed to create some chances, including a dangerous counter-attack that was thwarted by Yann Sommer’s save. Inter extended their lead from a set piece when Marcus Thuram volleyed in from close range after a flick-on from Calhanoglu’s corner kick. This goal held special significance for Thuram as he was born in Parma.
Lautaro Martinez nearly added a fourth goal but missed narrowly after being set up by Joaquin Correa. Parma eventually found consolation when Matteo Darmian inadvertently scored an own goal while trying to defend against Dennis Man’s run.
The match concluded with Inter having another penalty awarded but subsequently revoked after it was determined that Antoine Hainaut had not made contact with Martinez during the play.
Goals: Dimarco 40 (I), Barella 53 (I), Thuram 66 (I), Darmian og 81 (P)
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck (90′ +3 Palacios), de Vrij, Bastoni (75′ Darmian); Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu ( 70′ Asllani), Mkhitaryan, Dimarco (70′ Buchanan); Lautaro, Thuram (70′ Correa). All. Inzaghi.
Parma (4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Hainaut, Delprato, Balogh (12′ Leoni), Valeri (75′ Valenti); Mandela Keita (60′ Hernani), Sohm; Man, Cancellieri (75′ Haj), Mihaila; Bonny (60′ Almqvist).
