Bonny and Pellegrini, Hidden Heroes Who Led Inter Milan and AS Roma to Victory

MILAN, MONDAY — The top of the Serie A standings has once again changed after Napoli and AC Milan stumbled in the 11th week. Inter Milan and AS Roma, the two leading teams, have heroes from the "underclass" who are able to substitute the central roles of injured key players.

Inter and Roma achieved identical 2-0 victories ahead of the international break this November. They surpassed Milan and Napoli, who both have 22 points. In this week's match, Milan was held to a 2-2 draw by Parma, while Napoli fell 0-2 to Bologna.

"I Nerazzurri" should be grateful for the performance of substitute striker Ange-Yoan Bonny. The young striker from France was deployed from the start in the match against Lazio on Monday (10/11/2025) early morning WIB, at the San Siro Stadium.

Inter coach Cristian Chvu has positioned Bonny as the partner to Inter's captain, Lautaro Martinez. The 22-year-old player has taken over the role of Marcus Thuram, who is not yet fit after being sidelined by injury.

Bonny did not waste the fifth opportunity to appear as a starting player. He secured a 2-0 lead for Inter with a tap-in in the 62nd minute. Bonny capitalized on an accurate cross from Federico Dimarco. The first goal for Inter was scored by Martinez just three minutes into the match.

Bonny, who was brought along by Chivu from Parma, is indeed still struggling to replace the key roles of Thuram and Martinez. However, Chivu is already well aware of his potential.

Indeed, Bonny has scored four goals and provided three assists in 11 appearances in the Italian League this season. This total is nearly equal to the collection of six goals and four assists for Parma last season.

Bonny has become an Inter player with the best goal contribution frequency record. He only needs to play for 59 minutes to register a goal or assist in Serie A.

Bonny's impressive performance is crucial for the Nerazzurri as they battle for the Scudetto. Inter boasts at least four center-forwards who have already scored goals: Martinez, Thuram, Bonny, and Francesco Pio Esposito.

Dimarco called Bonny a key signing for Inter last summer. "Bonny has worked hard since joining. He has a lot of room for improvement," Dimarco told DAZN.

After scoring against Lazio, Bonny is determined to continue his form when Serie A resumes after the international break. Inter will face AC Milan in the Derby della Madonnina on Monday (November 24, 2025).

"I realize that the derby is a very important game, but we want to have the same approach in every game," said Bonny.

On the Roma side, native Roman Lorenzo Pellegrini did not waste the trust of Roma Coach Gian Piero Gasperini to fill the role of the injured Paulo Dybala.

Pellegrini not only plays the role of Dybala as a shadow striker duo alongside Matias Soule, but he is also entrusted with the responsibility of replacing the main penalty taker of "The Wolf".

Pellegrini opened the scoring for Roma with a penalty execution in the 42nd minute against Udinese, Monday WIB, at the Olimpico Stadium.

The match against Udinese marked the fourth time Pellegrini's name appeared in the starting lineup for Roma in the Italian League this season. In two of those matches, he took the opportunity to demonstrate his quality by contributing goals.

The player, a graduate of the Roma Academy, is key to the depth of the Roma squad, which requires numerous options for attacking players. This is because Roma is still struggling to score goals.

Of the four top teams, Si Serigala is the team with the lowest goal count. They have only scored 12 goals from 11 matches.

Unsurprisingly, Pellegrini is Roma's second-highest scoring player domestically. His two goals are tied with center forward Artem Dovbyk, who has played more minutes. Pellegrini is only one goal behind Soule, Roma's top scorer in Serie A.

"It's a valuable opportunity for us to have a coach of Gasperini's caliber. We must utilize his abilities to help the team achieve great results," Pellegrini told Sky Sport Italia after the match.

The situation of a goal drought has caused Roma to consistently fall in rankings when having equal points. Last month, Roma was in second place due to a lower goal productivity compared to Napoli. In mid-November, they experienced a similar situation against Inter.

With 24 points, Roma has only recorded a goal difference of +7. Inter leads the standings with a goal difference of +14, supported by a total of 26 goals, making them the highest-scoring team in Serie A this season.

Gasperini did not miss the opportunity to praise Pellegrini's performance. Although he was temporarily sidelined from the main squad, Pellegrini, who is 29 years old, gradually gained Gasperini's trust.

"He's a good player. He's very fit and mature," Gasperini said, as reported by Corriere dello Sport.

He added, "We must restore the trust that he rightfully deserves. He has done good things for his physical condition. We are happy for him, and we also benefit from his current situation."

When asked about Pellegrini's role in taking responsibility as the main penalty executor, Gasperini responded diplomatically. According to him, Pellegrini and Dybala are the best penalty takers that Roma has.

"Anyone can take a penalty. Scoring a penalty is something unfamiliar to us. Pellegrini executed it very well, but Dybala also has a good record before facing AC Milan," said Gasperini. (AFP)