JAKARTA - The big match in the Italian Serie A ended in a draw 1-1 when Inter Milan failed to conquer Atalanta in a match at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Saturday, March 14, 2026 WIB. In that match, Inter coach Cristian Chivu was sent off for protesting against the controversial decision of the referee.
Inter wasted chances when playing at home. Not only that, Inter actually made a pretty good start and had a lead first.
However, Federico Dimarco et al failed to maintain their performance throughout the 90 minutes of the match. As a result, Yann Sommer's goal could be conceded in the second half. Worse yet, Chivu was also sent off after receiving a red card shortly after Atalanta could equalize.
The draw makes Inter fail to leave closest rival, AC Milan, who will face hosts Lazio on Monday, March 16, 2026 WIB. Currently, Inter who has 68 points is only eight points ahead of Milan. If they win against Lazio, they will cut the gap to five points.
This makes the competition for the Scudetto back to heating up and tight. Moreover, the competition still leaves nine matches so anything can happen when the league enters the final weeks.
Meanwhile, Atalanta remains in seventh place with 47 points. Atalanta, who were previously beaten 6-1 by Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League 16-finals, are still trying to enter the European zone.
At the very least, the team under Raffaele Palladino hopes to qualify for the UEFA Conference League if they fail to get a ticket to the Champions League or Europa League.
In that match, Inter, who had previously defeated Milan 1-0 in the Derby della Madonnina, took the initiative to attack. Even though they lost Alessandro Bastoni, captain Lautaro Martinez and Hakan Calhanoglu who had not recovered from injury, Inter still dominated. It is recorded that Dimarco has created an opportunity through a volley kick. However, the effort did not bear fruit.
Inter had to wait until the 26th minute when striker Francesco Pio Esposito managed to break the deadlock. The goal started with Denzel Dumfries' action who managed to cut the ball from defender Sead Kolasinac.
He then gave the ball to midfielder Niccolo Barrela who immediately passed it to Esposito. From a fairly narrow angle, Esposito was able to surprise goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi who conceded through Esposito's action.
The 1-0 advantage actually made the Inter players more excited to press the La Dea defense. At least, Dimarco's shot still passed in front of the Atalanta goal. Meanwhile, the Inter back was ended with a shot from Piotr Zielinski hitting the opponent's player so that it was wide.
Inter again attacked and Dumfries was recorded twice getting a chance but failed to convert into a goal. Likewise, Marcus Thuram's kick still soared over the crossbar.
Entering the second half, the match was tighter. Atalanta managed to get out of the pressure. This makes them able to take the initiative to attack. Only Atalanta's attack did not bear fruit.
After waiting for a goal that seemed to be in vain, Atalanta was finally able to break the Inter goal. Only, Atalanta's goal was a little controversial that started when substitute Kamaldeen Sulemana managed to grab the ball that Dumfries controlled.
He then fired a shot at the goal that still could be stopped by goalkeeper Sommer. However, the ball then rebounded which was then maximized by Nikola Krstovic to equalize the score to 1-1 in the 82nd minute.
It's just that before the goal there was physical contact that resulted in Dumfries falling. Referee Gianluca Manganiello actually was about to blow the whistle. But he didn't blow the whistle because he didn't think there was a foul. Likewise, when VAR reviewed the incident, there was no foul against Dumfries so the referee still confirmed the goal.
The referee's decision made Chivu protest loudly. Because he did not stop protesting, Chivu who had been given a yellow card was finally approached by the referee and received a second yellow card followed by a red card. Dumfries himself stated that there was physical contact but only minimal so that there was no violation.
Inter also protested for the second time when defender Giorgio Scalvini knocked down Davide Frattesi as they fought for a rebound ball. This was a penalty opportunity for Inter.
However, after being reviewed by VAR, the referee stated that there was no foul and penalty. There was no additional goal from both teams. The score remained 1-1 when the match ended.
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