Inter come from two down to beat Udinese in eight-goal San Siro thriller

Cristian Chivu’s side looked in serious trouble after falling two goals behind inside 16 minutes, but Inter responded with five goals of their own before Idrissa Gueye’s stoppage-time effort gave the scoreline a final twist.

Match highlight

Inter came into the match on a 13-game unbeaten Serie A run stretching back to last season and were firm favourites. Udinese made the early running count, though.

Unai Gomez delivered an excellent ball into the area, where James Abankwah rose to head home. It was the defender’s first goal for Udinese and it stunned the home crowd.

Inter nearly levelled soon afterwards. Maduka Okoye made a superb double save to keep out Marcus Thuram, but the hosts were hit again just as they began to settle.

Keinan Davis played a clever pass through to Jurgen Ekkelenkamp, who finished from close range to make it 2-0 after only 16 minutes.

Inter needed a response, and Carlos Augusto provided it. In the 26th minute, he struck a fierce long-range shot into the bottom corner to pull one back. The goal changed the mood inside San Siro.

Nicolo Barella then brought Inter level before half-time with a powerful finish from inside the box. After a chaotic opening period, the champions had recovered from a two-goal deficit and went into the break with momentum.

Okoye kept Udinese level early in the second half when he made a strong near-post save from Henrikh Mkhitaryan. But Inter’s pressure finally produced the lead.

Andy Diouf played Thuram in on the counterattack, and the France international finished accurately into the bottom corner from around 12 metres. Inter were 3-2 ahead.

The home side did not stop there. Piotr Zielinski set up Pio Esposito, who calmly finished from close range midway through the half. It was Esposito’s second league goal of the season and gave Inter breathing room.

With a little more than 10 minutes left, substitute Ange-Yoan Bonny made it 5-2. His first effort was saved, but he reacted quickly to score from the rebound.

Gueye pulled one back in early stoppage time, but it was only a consolation for Udinese. Inter saw out the final moments to secure all three points.

The win moves Inter into second place, behind leaders Roma, who they face on Saturday in a major early Serie A match. Udinese remain 13th with four points from four games and host Cagliari next.