Inter Milan Firm at the Top of the Table After Defeating Parma

Striker Marcus Thuram celebrates the goal that gave Inter Milan a 2-0 win over Parma in the Italian Serie A. (inter.it)

JAKARTA - Inter Milan won an important 2-0 victory over Parma in an Italian Serie A match. The victory at home to Parma at the Ennio Tardini Stadium, Thursday, January 8, 2026 WIB, made Inter stronger at the top of the standings and left its competitors behind.

The competition at the top is slowly starting to narrow. Only the point gap of the teams in the top four is still not far away. Inter has indeed left its competitors.

The victory over Parma makes Inter confirm their position at the top of the standings with 42 points. Four points ahead of AC Milan who are in second place and Napoli who were only able to play a draw 2-2 against Hellas Verona.

Milan can still close the points gap with Inter. The condition is that Massimiliano Allegri's team must be able to beat their guests Genoa in a match at the San Siro Stadium, Friday, January 9, 2026 WIB. If they get three points, the competition will heat up again and possibly leave two teams from Milan City.

Inter coach Cristian Chivu admitted that the competition in the Italian League this season was tight and heavy. Even though it has entered the new year, Inter still can't leave its competitors and secure its position at the top.

"Serie A is never easy. Everything cannot be underestimated. A dangerous threat can come from anywhere," Chivu said as quoted by Football Italia.

"If you look at the points and statistics, it is very satisfying for now. But most importantly is how hungry and ambitious you are when you are on the field," he said again.

Meanwhile, midfielder Federico Dimarco who scored the first goal and opened the Nerazzurri's victory said that this victory was very important. However, the players were not complacent and they were focused on the match at the weekend.

"This is a very important victory. We can finally meet the target. But now we are already thinking about Sunday's match," said Dimarco.

Parma, who were previously managed by Chivu but then returned to Inter to replace Simone Inzaghi, are not an easy opponent even though they are currently at the bottom of the table. In a match with a foggy atmosphere due to winter, Inter had to work hard to deal with the home team's stubborn game.

Inter threatened Parma's goal through Francesco Pio Esposito who replaced Marcus Thuram. In the 29th minute, the young Italian striker's shot still hit the goalpost.

After many failed attempts, Inter finally broke the deadlock when Dimarco broke into the Parma goal in the 42nd minute. The goal started from Dimarco's pass to Esposito who then returned the ball to Dimarco who penetrated into the penalty box. From a narrow angle, the 28-year-old Italian national team player then fired a hard shot that pierced the Parma goal.

Score 1-0 for Inter. They also returned to pressure, but Lautaro Martinez's efforts did not bear fruit. The score remained until halftime.

Entering the second half, Inter continued to show aggressiveness in attacking. It's just that they seem to face a solid defense wall. Their attacks also always fail until finally Ange-Yoan Bonny managed to break the Parma goal in injury time.

However, the goal was annulled because Yoan Bonny, who had played four seasons at Parma, touched the ball before scoring.

Parma finally managed to add a goal that cemented the victory. The goal was produced by Thuram who replaced Esposito in the 90th minute +8. He welcomed the assist from Nicolo Barella before launching a hard shot and closing the match with a 2-0 lead.