Inter crush Roma 5-2 as Lautaro Martinez marks comeback with a brace
Quick summary
Inter beat Roma 5-2 in Serie A, with Lautaro Martinez scoring twice on his return from injury. Hakan Calhanoglu, Marcus Thuram and Nicolo Barella also scored in a dominant home performance.
What happened
Inter defeated Roma 5-2 at San Siro in a high-event Serie A match led by Lautaro Martinez, who scored twice in his first appearance since February 18. Calhanoglu added a long-range goal before halftime, while Thuram and Barella extended Inter's advantage after the break. Roma replied through Gianluca Mancini and Lorenzo Pellegrini but were second best for most of the game and also saw Mancini go off injured at halftime. The result reinforces Inter's attacking strength and highlights the impact of Lautaro's return.
Chance analysis
This matters because Inter immediately regained a major attacking reference point with Lautaro returning and producing two goals. The Lautaro-Thuram partnership looked decisive again, while Roma's defensive structure struggled badly and may face an extra issue if Mancini's muscular problem is significant. For football modelling, the match boosts Inter's attacking outlook more than it changes their defensive rating positively, given they still conceded twice.
Inter's near-term attacking outlook improves, while Roma may carry defensive and availability concerns after a heavy defeat and Mancini's injury scare.
Upgrade Inter's attacking projection on Lautaro's successful return, while marking Roma's defense as vulnerable and monitoring Mancini's injury status.