BERGAMO, Italy: Lautaro Martinez scored the decisive goal as Inter Milan claimed a vital 1-0 win away at Atalanta on Sunday, moving into the New Year at the summit of Serie A.
Inter now lead a tightly packed title race with 36 points, one ahead of city rivals AC Milan and two clear of Napoli, after a hard-fought contest in Bergamo.
The visitors thought they had gone ahead just before half-time when Marcus Thuram found the net, but the effort was ruled out due to an offside involving Martinez in the build-up. Atalanta responded strongly after the break, with Nicola Zalewski denied in a one-on-one by a brilliant leg save from Yann Sommer.
The hosts were again frustrated when Gianluca Scamacca rounded Sommer and finished calmly, only for the offside flag to be raised once more. Inter finally made the breakthrough in the 65th minute as Pio Esposito capitalised on a defensive error and squared for Martinez, who fired home confidently.
The game slowed in the closing stages, with Lazar Samardzic missing Atalanta’s best chance to equalise late on. Speaking after the match, Martinez praised the challenge posed by their opponents, calling it a true head-to-head against a side that has achieved significant success in Serie A and Europe in recent years.
