Inter came from behind to rescue an important point on Saturday evening, drawing 2-2 with Atalanta in a topsy turvy game at San Siro.

The Nerazzurri should have broken the deadlock in the opening two minutes, but Edin Dzeko missed the far post by a fraction with his guided finish. That wasted opportunity did not prove costly however, as the champions of Italy took the lead a couple of minutes later in emphatic style.

WHAT. A. HIT! ?

Malinovskiy put EVERYTHING behind that for Atalanta ?? pic.twitter.com/KxNpd7O3YJ

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 25, 2021

Nicolo Barella whipped in a dangerous cross from the right flank which completely took out the entire Atalanta defence, leaving Lautaro Martinez to fizz a superb volley beyond Juan Musso and into the roof of the net.

Inter survived a major scare on 23 minutes, as Marten de Roon’s low drive arrowed just past Samir Handanovic’s near post and wide of the mark. Ruslan Malinovsky did punish the hosts for giving him too much space outside the area however, blasting a missile into the far corner on the half-hour mark.

I Nerazzurri’s fortunes went from bad to worse eight minutes later, as Handanovic only managed to palm Malinovsky’s vicious strike into the path of Rafael Toloi, and the centre-back rifled home the rebound to hand Atalanta a shock advantage.

Dzeko set up an exciting final 20 minutes by tapping home the rebound from Federico Dimarco’s saved toe-poke, and the Bosnian almost completed the comeback a minute later, but his header flashed wide.

? | DZEK0

tap-in di @EdDzeko a porta spalancata! ?#ForzaInter ⚫? pic.twitter.com/CeOWE34CwR

— Inter ??? (@Inter) September 25, 2021

The Nerazzurri were offered the chance to turn the game completely on its head with five minutes to play, after Merih Demiral handled the ball in the box, and Dimarco stepped up to take the resulting spot-kick.

But Dimarco crashed his penalty against the crossbar, and Atalanta broke down the other end, only for Roberto Piccoli to beat Handanovic with a swivelling strike which crept over the goal line. VAR came to Inter’s rescue and overturned the goal due to the ball going out of play in the buildup, meaning both sides came away with a point.

Let’s check out the Inter player ratings.

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Samir Handanovic (GK) – 5/10 – Left chasing shadows as Malinovsky’s hammer whizzed past him and into the top corner. Made a hash of stopping the second attempt, palming the ball straight back into danger.

Milan Skriniar (CB) – 6/10 – Played Toloi onside for the second goal, dropping slightly deeper than the rest of the Inter backline. Gave away the free-kick which almost led to a third goal for the visitors.

Stefan de Vrij (CB) – 5/10 – Didn’t get out quick enough to block Malinovsky’s equaliser. Likewise, allowed the Ukrainian to test Handanovic a second time, leading to Toloi’s tap in.

Alessandro Bastoni (CB) – 6/10 – Picked up an early booking and had to tread carefully against Atalanta’s flying wing-backs. Not his best performance.

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Matteo Darmian (RWB) – 5/10 – A more defensive-minded figure on the right than Denzel Dumfries, but he was powerless in stopping the opposition from rampaging down his flank. An absolute passenger.

Nicolo Barella (CM) – 7/10 – At the heart of everything dangerous – as always. Stunning cross to feed Martinez for the opener. Impact on the game faded after an initial burst of input. Never gave up.

Marcelo Brozovic (CM) – 6/10 – Broke up play well and produced a couple of inch-perfect balls over the top to free Dzeko and Martinez. Lost control of the midfield as the visitors grew in stature.

Hakan Calhanoglu (CM) – 5/10 – Couldn’t live with the intensity and speed with which Atalanta moved the ball in the middle of the park. Wasted a great chance to open up the opposition with a horribly misplaced pass.

Ivan Perisic (LWB) – 6/10 – Unable to impose himself on the game in either final third, often running into cul-de-sacs and losing possession.

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Edin Dzeko (ST) – 6/10 – Missed a brilliant early chance to give Inter the lead, and then took an awfully heavy touch when in on goal. Did do his bit in the buildup to Martinez’s opener, and tapped home the equaliser for 2-2.

Lautaro Martinez (ST) – 7/10 – Siri, define ‚clinical‘. What a finish from the Argentine, blasting a devastatingly controlled volley into the net. Hitting his best form, even if his teammates struggled.

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Denzel Dumfries (RWB) – 7/10 – A far better option than Darmian and one who must start more often if Inter are to win these kind of games.

Federico Dimarco (LWB) – 6/10 – Slammed his penalty against the woodwork, spoiling what was otherwise a bright cameo from the bench. One assist to his name.

Matias Vecino (CM) – 6/10

Alexis Sanchez (ST) – 6/10

Martin Satriano (ST) – N/A