If you blinked, you missed the start. But if you stayed for the full 90, you saw the Serie A title race get a whole lot tighter. Inter Milan’s charge toward the Scudetto hit another speed bump at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday night, as a resilient Fiorentina fought back to claim a 1-1 draw that has the red half of Milan licking their chops.
The 40-Second Warning
Inter didn’t just start fast; they started at warp speed. Before some fans had even found their seats, the Nerazzurri were ahead. Denzel Dumfries launched a trademark long throw into the box, the Fiorentina defense failed to clear their lines, and Nicolo Barella whipped in a cross that was absolute perfection. Francesco Pio Esposito was there to meet it, buried a clinical header past David De Gea, and Inter had the lead with just 39 seconds on the clock.
At that point, it looked like a massacre was on the cards. Inter had the ball in the net again just six minutes later, but Barella’s deflected effort was scrubbed off for offside. The league leaders were purring, but they couldn’t find that killer second goal.
Viola’s Vengeance
Fiorentina, currently fighting tooth and nail to stay clear of the relegation scrap, refused to fold. After the break, the momentum shifted. Paolo Vanoli’s side grew into the game, with Moise Kean a constant nuisance and Albert Gudmundsson starting to pull the strings.
The equalizer finally arrived in the 77th minute. Sommer did brilliantly to parry a stinging drive from Gudmundsson, but the Inter defense was caught napping. Cher Ndour reacted quickest, ghosting in to tuck the rebound into an empty net. The Franchi erupted, and suddenly, the giants from Milan looked very, very nervous.
De Gea’s Defiance
The final ten minutes were pure chaos. Inter, desperate to restore their eight-point cushion at the top, threw everything forward. In stoppage time, they looked certain to snatch it. First, Manuel Akanji saw a header miraculously tipped over, and then, in the 95th minute, Esposito thought he’d won it with a brilliant turn and strike.
But David De Gea proved why he’s still one of the best in the business. The Spaniard pulled off a sprawling, world-class save to preserve the point, leaving Inter players slumped on the turf at the final whistle.
With Inter picking up just two points from their last three matches, their lead at the top is down to a precarious six points. For Fiorentina, this point moves them two clear of the drop zone—a massive result for their survival hopes.
