Inter Shines in Parma's Fog

PARMA, WEDNESDAY — The orange accents on Inter Milan's away kit shone through the thick fog enveloping the Ennio Tardini Stadium, home of Parma, during the Serie A match on Thursday (8/1/2026) early morning WIB. The orange flashes were as bright as the performance of the Nerazzurri squad, which unleashed 26 shots and scored two unanswered goals. This sixth consecutive victory ensures that Inter remains at the top of the Italian League standings with 41 points.

Inter leads by four points over AC Milan and Napoli, who are in second and third place in the standings, respectively. Milan could reduce the gap to one point if they win against Genoa in their home match on Friday (9/1/2026) early morning WIB. Meanwhile, Napoli was held at home after drawing 2-2 against Verona. In this match, Napoli was even close to losing, as they were trailing 0-2 in the first half.

Napoli's failure to secure full points at home has become a blessing for Inter in the championship race. Inter's performance has been very consistent since their 0-1 defeat in the Milan derby on November 24, 2025. That poor result became a turning point for Cristian Chivu's squad, resulting in six consecutive victories from matchday 13 to matchday 18 against Parma this week.

Chivu made a precise rotation in this match by playing Carlos Augusto in defense and placing Petar Sucic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan alongside the Turkish midfielder, Hakan Calhanoglu. This midfield formation facilitated a smoother flow of the ball forward, with Luis Henrique and Federico Dimarco on the wings. This assault disrupted the focus of the defense on Inter's forwards, Pio Esposito and Lautaro Martinez.

Inter unleashed 26 shots and several goal opportunities, including two that hit the crossbar from the strikes of Yann Aurel Bisseck and Pio Esposito. Additionally, a goal by Ange-Yoan Bonny was disallowed due to a foul that occurred before the ball shook the net of Parma.

Inter scored their first goal in the 45th minute through Dimarco's shot, which was checked by VAR for offside but later ruled valid. Marcus Thuram scored the second goal in the 97th minute, capitalizing on an assist from Nicolo Barella.

"It's never easy playing in Serie A; you always have to prove yourself, and the opposition can always cause problems. It's not easy to play here, and with these weather conditions, it's even more difficult. We tried to dominate, we tried to penetrate their low block, and with 10 men behind the ball, it wasn't easy," Chivu told Inter Milan's official website.

"We are trying to get into the penalty box with more crosses and some shots from outside the box, but what matters is the victory and the extraordinary attitude of the players," emphasized Chivu.

This victory was not solely due to the efforts of the attacking players. Inter's defense also performed solidly to prevent counterattacks from Parma's swift players. Inter was briefly threatened with a goal when Jacob Ondrejka broke free from his marker and took a one-touch shot while jumping. The ball was out of reach for goalkeeper Yann Sommer, but the crossbar saved Inter. This moment served as a warning signal that was well responded to by Inter's three central defenders, Manuel Akanji, Bisseck, and Carlos Augusto.

"Akanji is as important as Bisseck, Acerbi, and all the other defensive players, even Carlos played well. This match was successful because they were able to defend well within the tempo of the game and managed to close several gaps in counterattacks. It is never easy to face a tight defense; you have to be very focused, and passing the ball carries the risk of becoming too eager, but I am very pleased with my players," said Chivu.

This result provides crucial capital for Inter going into their next match, hosting Napoli on January 11, 2026, followed by a postponed match against Lecce on January 14. These two matches are crucial in Inter's path to the Scudetto this season. If they can get six points, a bright spot is at the end of the tunnel in Serie A, because the leaders at the halfway point of the season usually finish as champions.

"The first half of the season has not yet ended, there is still a postponed match against Lecce. We realize the importance of the match against Napoli. We are halfway through the season, every match and every point is important, and we are aware of this. Inter and Napoli are two teams with high individual strength and intensity," said Chivu.

"On Sunday, two teams of significant quality will face each other, not only in Serie A," emphasized Chivu regarding the match against Napoli.

Antonio Conte's focus is also on the big match at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza after Napoli could only manage a point against Verona. After nearly losing the match, trailing 2-0 at halftime, Napoli were rescued by goals from Scott McTominay and Giovanni Di Lorenzo. Napoli could have won if Rasmus Hojlund's goal had not been disallowed for handball.

"Looking at the way the game went, we could have lost. In the first half, there were two negative incidents for us, where we could have done better, including the penalty. The judgement was a bit strange, but we accept that," Conte told Dazn Italia, as quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Being two goals down like that can destroy anyone, but on the contrary, we have the strength to rise, and two more goals were disallowed. Regarding Hojlund's disallowed goal, I do not know where he should have placed his arm. Should his arm be amputated? That is a subjective judgment from those who watched the video, we accept that. As for the rest, we must continue to do what we are doing; the team deserves praise, especially considering the times we are experiencing right now," Conte stated.

Regarding the upcoming match at home for Inter, which is crucial in the Serie A championship race, Conte is reluctant to assess who the favorites are. The competition is still long, and many teams can rise with a very tight point difference.

"I am not interested in discussing favorite teams, as it will only lead to commotion over my words. We know we are facing a strong team, a team that has reached two Champions League finals in the last three years and is at the top of the standings," said Conte.

"We will go there with great desire and determination. We certainly will not underestimate them as we did today, and anyone who steps onto the field will always give their best. There will always be a lot of media attention on matches like this," Conte emphasized.

This match will be the second encounter between Inter and Napoli. In the first match at Napoli's home ground, Inter was defeated 3-1. Napoli has a good record against top teams in Italy, including a 2-1 victory over Juventus and a 1-0 win against AS Roma. However, they lost 1-2 to AC Milan, who played pragmatically at the end of September.