Thuram and Zielinski snatch stoppage-time Inter win over Fiorentina
Inter rescued a 2-1 Serie A win over Fiorentina at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza with two goals deep into stoppage time, overturning Jimenez’s 65th-minute opener through Marcus Thuram and Piotr Zielinski. Thuram struck in the 91st minute from Andy Diouf’s pass before Zielinski converted a 98th-minute penalty to preserve Inter’s unbeaten start.
Match facts
| Item | Figure | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Final score | Inter 2-1 Fiorentina | Inter recovered after falling behind in the second half |
| Possession | 63% | Inter controlled much of the ball but were goalless at half-time |
| Attempts | 33 | Inter’s volume of shooting eventually produced two late goals |
| Decisive goal | 98th minute | Zielinski scored from the penalty spot |
The home side had dictated the first half territorially, moving the ball through Hakan Calhanoglu and pressing Fiorentina high up the pitch, but could not find a way through a compact visiting defence. Despite their control and repeated attempts on goal, Inter went into the break level at 0-0.
Fiorentina then made their limited attacking threat count. Jimenez scored with a forceful effort in the 65th minute, beating Ivan Provedel, who was making his Inter debut. It was one of only two efforts on target faced by the goalkeeper, who made one save and otherwise had little to do behind a side enjoying the majority of possession.
Inter’s response was initially frustrated, even as the pressure continued to build. Francesco Pio Esposito had struggled to get involved as the central forward and had been replaced by Ange-Yoan Bonny in the 64th minute, shortly before Fiorentina’s goal. Bonny did not score, but his physical presence gave Inter another reference point in attack and helped create room around Thuram.
Cristian Chivu made a key triple change in the 78th minute, withdrawing Alessandro Bastoni, Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Federico Dimarco, Zielinski and Petar Sucic entered, with Dimarco’s deliveries immediately forcing Fiorentina deeper and Sucic adding energy to the midfield press. Matteo Lavelli later replaced captain Nicolo Barella in the 85th minute as Inter committed further numbers forward.
Diouf was central to the late surge. The midfielder’s running and ability to sustain Inter’s intensity helped tilt the closing stages decisively towards Fiorentina’s penalty area, and he supplied the pass for Thuram’s equaliser in the first minute of added time. Thuram had remained a threat despite Inter’s lack of cutting edge for most of the contest, and his movement later won the foul that brought the penalty.
Zielinski, on the field for only 20 minutes after his 78th-minute introduction, held his nerve from the spot in the 98th minute to complete the turnaround. The goal turned a game that appeared to be heading for Inter’s first defeat of the campaign into a dramatic home victory.
At the back, Manuel Akanji helped manage Fiorentina’s counter-attacks while stepping into midfield to support possession, and Bastoni’s passing from the left of the defence remained an important outlet before his substitution. Yann Bisseck’s pace and physicality were useful during recovery situations, although Fiorentina’s transition for the opening goal exposed Inter briefly.
Carlos Augusto repeatedly offered width on the flank but found crosses blocked or cleared by Fiorentina’s crowded penalty area. Barella worked through 85 minutes with his usual intensity but could not consistently unlock the congested midfield, while Mkhitaryan had limited success finding spaces between the visiting lines.
Inter’s 33 shots underlined the dominance of their performance, but the result ultimately rested on their resilience after Jimenez’s goal and Chivu’s attacking changes. Thuram’s 91st-minute finish and Zielinski’s late penalty ensured the Nerazzurri took all three points from a match in which Fiorentina had come close to an upset.
