In an underwhelming initiation of their Serie A title defense, Inter Milan stumbled to a 2-2 stalemate against Genoa on Saturday. The climactic moment arrived when Junior Messias netted a dramatic equalizer, securing a draw for the home side. Meanwhile, AC Milan showcased their resilience, overturning a two-goal deficit to salvage a 2-2 draw against Torino.

Inter Milan, grappling with the absence of pivotal figures Stefan de Vrij and Piotr Zielinski, struggled to impose their dominance, despite an impressive brace from Marcus Thuram. Genoa’s Alessandro Vogliacco stunned the visitors with a shock lead, capitalizing on a rebound that ricocheted off the bar in the 20th minute.

Thuram, demonstrating his aerial finesse, restored parity with a well-placed header from Niccolò Barella’s floated cross ten minutes later. The forward’s bid for a penalty, following an apparent trip by Genoa’s captain Milan Badelj, was overturned upon VAR review. This moment of controversy heightened Inter’s pressure after halftime, yet Federico Dimarco’s effort was invalidated for offside, resulting in a yellow card for manager Simone Inzaghi, who vociferously protested the decision.

Inzaghi’s frustration was somewhat alleviated when Genoa’s coach, Alberto Gilardino, also received a yellow card, presumably for an outburst aimed at the referee. Inter’s relentless offensive approach bore fruit six minutes from time as Thuram capitalized on a through ball, deftly lifting the ball over Genoa’s goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini to level the score.

In summary, Inter Milan’s start to the season was marred by missed opportunities and contentious decisions, while AC Milan demonstrated a commendable comeback spirit to rescue a point from their encounter with Torino.

Dramatic Stoppage Time and Last-Minute Heroics Define Serie A Drama

In a thrilling finale to their match, Inter Milan faced a bitter twist of fate as Yann Bisseck’s ill-fated header into his own hands allowed Junior Messias’ penalty to be initially thwarted by Yann Sommer. Yet, Messias’ determination saw him convert the rebound, leaving Inter Milan to rue a lost opportunity.

“We’re disheartened because the team displayed a commendable level of professionalism,” lamented Simone Inzaghi. “We dominated the first half, creating numerous chances but unfortunately conceded an unfortunate goal. When a team lets in two goals, as we did tonight, winning becomes a formidable challenge.”

Inzaghi continued, “When our team takes the lead as we did, we must avoid conceding, especially not a goal of that nature.”

Meanwhile, at the San Siro, Noah Okafor emerged as the hero with a breathtaking volley in the dying moments of stoppage time. His effort secured a point for AC Milan, which had seemed unlikely until Alvaro Morata, the new acquisition, had revived hopes by scoring in the 89th minute.

Paulo Fonseca’s debut as Milan’s head coach was marred by an unfortunate own goal from Malick Thiaw in the 30th minute, an error that seemed more likely given the ease with which the ball could have been cleared.

Despite Milan’s intermittent pressure, Torino’s Duvan Zapata appeared to have secured victory with a precise header from a Valentino Lazaro cross. Yet, Morata’s debut goal set the stage for an exhilarating finish. Okafor capitalized on a cross from substitute Yunus Musah, netting in the fifth minute of added time.

Morata reflected on the dramatic draw, “We need to focus on the positives from this match. Securing a point when a loss seemed imminent is a step forward, but we must bring that level of courage from the very start. To win titles, we need to be more resilient and committed.”

In other Serie A action, promoted Parma delivered an entertaining 1-1 draw against Fiorentina, while Empoli and Monza played out a goalless stalemate.