Inter Milan missed the chance to cut Napoli’s huge lead at the top of Serie A on Friday, suffering a shock 2‑1 defeat to relegation‑threatened Spezia. Goals from Daniel Maldini and M’Bala Nzola, flanking a Romelu Lukaku penalty, handed fourth‑from‑bottom Spezia a crucial victory in their bid to avoid the drop. The loss was another blow to Inter’s faint hopes of overtaking Napoli, who are now 15 points clear of second‑placed Inter and have played one game fewer.
Inter paid the price for failing to capitalize on their chances. Argentine forward Lautaro Martínez saw a penalty saved by Spezia goalkeeper Bartłomiej Dragowski after 15 minutes. Martínez did find the net early in the second half, but Lukaku was offside. Spezia took the lead after 55 minutes when Maldini—son of AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini—swept home a low shot following good work by Nzola down the right. Inter equalised with seven minutes remaining after Denzel Dumfries won a penalty, which Lukaku converted.
Inter’s joy was short‑lived. Four minutes later, Dumfries was fouled by Viktor Kovalenko in the box, conceding another penalty. Nzola coolly converted to give Spezia their first Serie A victory over Inter after six attempts. The defeat marks Inter’s second consecutive away loss, allowing Napoli to extend their lead to 18 points with a win over sixth‑placed Atalanta on Saturday. Spezia remain one spot above the relegation zone, stretching their advantage over Verona, immediately below them, to six points.
Comments are closed for this story.