Inter 2-1 Fiorentina: Late Thuram and Zieliński strikes complete dramatic turnaround

Match recap

Inter produced a remarkable late turnaround to beat Fiorentina 2-1 in Serie A, after a goalless first half at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

Fiorentina took the lead in the 65th minute through Álex Jiménez, who finished with his right foot after an assist from Nicolò Fagioli. The visitors held that advantage deep into added time, despite Inter’s sustained statistical control of the contest.

The equaliser arrived in the first minute of stoppage time. Marcus Thuram struck with his left foot, with Andy Diouf credited for the assist, to make it 1-1. Inter then had a penalty reviewed by VAR in the 90+6th minute, and Piotr Zieliński converted from the spot a minute later to complete the comeback.

All three goals came after the interval: Fiorentina scored once in the second half, while Inter scored twice.

Inter’s weight of pressure

The numbers underline the volume of Inter’s attacking work. They had 63% possession, completed 506 of 558 passes for a 91% completion rate, and registered 142 attacks to Fiorentina’s 59. Their 88 dangerous attacks were four times the visitors’ 22.

Inter also recorded 33 total shots, including 11 on target, compared with Fiorentina’s seven shots and two on target. The home side created 24 key passes to four and delivered 38 crosses, 13 of them accurate; Fiorentina recorded seven crosses, with three accurate.

That pressure was also reflected in the goalkeeper figures. Fiorentina made eight saves, while Inter made one. The hosts had six corners to Fiorentina’s one and hit the woodwork once.

The decisive late sequence therefore followed a match in which Inter accumulated territory, possession and shooting volume. Fiorentina’s defence was heavily involved, with 74 clearances from danger, but Inter found the goals required in added time.

The key moments

Fiorentina made the first substitution in the 51st minute, introducing Viery for Marin Pongračić. Inter changed their forward line at 64 minutes, when Ange-Yoan Bonny replaced Pio Esposito.

One minute later, Jiménez put Fiorentina ahead. He was replaced by Dodô in the 75th minute, while the visitors also introduced Wilfried Gnonto for Franco Mastantuono at the same point. Inter’s later changes included Federico Dimarco, Petar Sučić, Zieliński and Matteo Lavelli.

Zieliński entered in the 78th minute for Hakan Çalhanoğlu and went on to score the winning penalty at 90+7. Thuram’s equaliser at 90+1 set up the decisive final phase.

Fiorentina received all three yellow cards in the match: Viery was booked in the 70th minute, Víctor Valdepeñas in the 90+5th minute, and Dodô in the 90+11th minute. Inter received none.

Standout performers

Thuram was named Player of the Match with a rating of 8.95, the highest recorded rating. His stoppage-time equaliser was his defining contribution.

Carlos Augusto received a 7.80 rating for Inter, followed by Diouf on 7.71 and Nicolò Barella on 7.63. Diouf’s assist for Thuram’s goal proved central to the late recovery.

For Fiorentina, David de Gea recorded eight saves and earned a 7.74 rating. Jiménez, scorer of the opening goal, was rated 7.27, while Fagioli was credited with the assist.

Final word

Fiorentina led from the 65th minute until the closing stages, but Inter’s late goals transformed the result. A 90+1 equaliser from Thuram and Zieliński’s 90+7 penalty gave the home side a 2-1 win after a match in which they led across the principal possession, passing and attacking statistics.