It may only be a small lead, but in a title race which has had little, if no gaps thus far, the latest set of Serie A matches in midweek has given the Nerazzurri – the side pipped to the biggest prizes at home and abroad last season – some wriggle room in their race to reclaim the title they won in 2024.
Because of the heartbreak they suffered at the end of last term, few will remember the many highlights they delivered along the way, both domestically and in Europe, including an epic semi-final success against Barcelona.
As they bid to bounce back from their ultimate disappointment, now they have some early Serie A 2026 highlights to enjoy and – for 24 hours at least – a four-point advantage at the summit.
That’s because they were triumphing at Parma a few hours after champions Napoli were being held at home by Hellas Verona, albeit demonstrating their character as they came back from 2-0 down.
It was a tough test for Inter, and it wasn’t until the eighth minute of stoppage time, when Marcus Thuram slotted home, that they knew the points were safe.
Earlier, Federico Dimarco had put Inter in front just before the break when he beat Parma goalkeeper Edoardo Corvi from a tight angle. The goal was initially ruled out for offside before being given after a VAR review.
Manager Cristian Chivu has been around the game long enough to know there is so much football to be played and acknowledged as much after Inter’s 2-0 success at his former club.
But he will have enjoyed the outcome, which moves them clear of city rivals AC Milan, who play on Thursday, as well as Napoli, who must have been stunned to find themselves 2-0 down at home to relegation battlers Verona.
The strugglers took a surprise lead with a move that started inside their own half, finishing with Chiekh Niasse’s low cross from the right which Martin Frese converted from close range with a cheeky back-heel flick – a special way to score his first ever Serie A goal.
One became two after 27 minutes as the ball struck Alessandro Buongiorno on the top of the hand and, despite the home side arguing he was being fouled, a penalty was awarded. Vanja Milinkovic-Savic guessed the right corner but couldn’t keep out Gift Orban’s spot-kick.
The team from Naples didn’t win the title last term without showing bundles of determination, and Scott McTominay and Giovanni Di Lorenzo hauled them level in the second half to rescue a point.
The Scot’s header nine minutes after the restart reduced the arrears and then, with eight minutes remaining, Di Lorenzo peeled away into the box and swept a low cross from Luca Marianucci into the near bottom corner.
The point pushes Verona to within two points of 17th place Genoa, who entertain Milan on Thursday teatime.
That wasn’t the only impressive showing from a side struggling near the foot of the table on Wednesday night as Fiorentina came within seconds of a victory in the Italian capital at Lazio.
They looked set to climb out of the drop zone on goal difference when, after falling behind to a Danilo Cataldi strike, Robin Gosens levelled and then, with one minute on the clock, Albert Gudmundsson netted a controversial penalty.
Yet the drama wasn’t over, and a shirt tug in the box meant a second spot-kick was awarded in quick succession, and Pedro, as he does so often, kept his cool to convert past David De Gea.
The team from Florence may remain in the drop zone, but they are now showing signs of life and have taken seven points out of a possible 12.
Behind the top three, Juventus and Roma remain in the picture on 36 points each, three ahead of the surprise sixth-placed package in Como.
As I said a week ago, the title race in Italy is going to be a compelling chase and while I think Juve will fall off the pace a bit – and I’m not convinced AC Milan will maintain their momentum either – I do feel that Roma (who actually earned more league points than any other Italian club in the calendar year of 2025) could stay the course longer.
It’s Inter or Napoli again for me, though, and the SBOTOP Serie A 2026 betting odds agree with that sentiment.
And if you’re getting really excited, the two sides meet in the San Siro on Sunday night.
Stand by your beds!
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