Inter came from 3-2 down to beat Napoli 3-2, and the biggest number from the night belongs to Lautaro Martínez. His 9.16 rating was the best on the pitch, and it matched the weight of the performance: one goal in the 56th minute, another right at the end, and a game that flipped once he took control of it. For a side that looked flat for long spells, that mattered more than any broad claim about momentum.

The comeback itself is the headline, but the ratings explain why it happened. Marcus Thuram returned with a 7.96 rating and scored the equaliser in the 82nd minute after hitting the upright earlier. Federico Dimarco was at 7.64 and supplied the assist for Lautaro's first goal, while Josep Martínez finished on 7.97 after six saves that kept the game within reach.

BBC Sport's live report captured how quickly the match swung against the hosts: "Inter were two behind when Napoli scored twice in three minutes at the start of the second half." That was the danger point in Inter vs Napoli, and it is why this win feels stronger than a routine early-season result.

Napoli's fast start and Inter's response

Matteo Politano put Napoli ahead on 50 minutes and Rasmus Højlund made it 2-0 three minutes later. Politano's 7.84 rating and Højlund's 7.5 told the same story as the scoreboard for a while: Napoli were direct, clean in transition and suddenly in full control.

Inter's response was far better than their opening. Lautaro's first goal arrived on 56 minutes, with Dimarco's delivery giving the move its shape, and the whole game changed after that. The pressure no longer looked rushed. Napoli had to defend deeper, and Inter finally had numbers around the box instead of leaving Lautaro isolated.

Thuram's role in that shift was obvious. He only needed 45 minutes to leave a mark, first striking the upright and then scoring the equaliser in the 82nd minute. A 7.96 rating for half a match is a big number, but the bigger point is that he gave Inter another runner and another target when the game opened up.

Napoli had been unbeaten against Inter since the Supercoppa Italiana Final in January 2024, which gives the turnaround a bit more edge. Inter did not just rescue a bad night. They ended that run by forcing Napoli backwards for most of the closing half-hour.

Lautaro's finish, and the small minute dispute

Lautaro's second goal will get most of the attention because it settled the match, and rightly so. Football Italia lists it at 91 minutes, while BBC Sport called it a 90th-minute winner. There is no disagreement over the scorer or the result, only the exact wording on the minute, and the safest conclusion is the simplest one: Lautaro scored the late winner in a 3-2 Inter victory.

BBC Sport described the finish this way: "The victory was earned in remarkable circumstances as Martinez bundled in from close range before celebrating wildly with home fans at San Siro." That close-range touch completed his brace and capped the comeback after Inter had spent much of the second half trying to pull Napoli apart.

The ratings around him help fill in the rest. Dimarco's 7.64 reflects the creative work down the left, and Manuel Akanji's 7.62 included the assist on the winner, even if the forwards will take the headlines. Josep Martínez deserves a large share of credit too. Without his six saves and 7.97 rating, Inter might have been chasing a game that had already gone.

What this win says about Inter's start

There is a tendency to treat a comeback like this as pure emotion, but Inter's better players were also their most productive ones. Lautaro delivered the decisive moments, Thuram changed the threat level when he came on, Dimarco created, and Josep Martínez prevented the scoreline from getting away from them. That is a much healthier sign than scraping through on chaos alone.

It also gives Inter a cleaner early-season line: they have now won their opening three league matches. A comeback from 2-0 down against Napoli will carry more weight than the other two, and Lautaro's brace is the main reason it ended with Inter on nine points rather than questions about a collapse at San Siro.

FAQ

How did Inter come back to beat Napoli 3-2?

Inter were 2-0 down early in the second half after goals from Matteo Politano and Rasmus Højlund. Lautaro Martínez pulled one back in the 56th minute, Marcus Thuram equalised in the 82nd after earlier hitting the upright, and Lautaro scored the winner late on. Federico Dimarco assisted the first Lautaro goal and Josep Martínez made six saves to keep Inter close.

Why was Lautaro Martínez the standout player against Napoli?

Lautaro finished with a 9.16 rating, the highest in the match, and scored twice in Inter's 3-2 win. His goals came in the 56th minute and then late in stoppage time, although some reports list the winner at 91 minutes and others at 90. Either way, he decided the comeback.

What difference did Marcus Thuram make in Inter vs Napoli?

Thuram gave Inter a major lift after the break. He had a 7.96 rating, hit the upright before scoring the equaliser in the 82nd minute, and changed the game's direction by giving Inter more threat in the final third when they were chasing from 2-0 down.

Did Inter's goalkeeper play a big part in the Napoli comeback?

Yes. Josep Martínez posted a 7.97 rating and made six saves. Napoli still got two goals, but his work stopped the deficit growing and gave Inter the platform to recover. In a comeback like this, the goalkeeper's contribution can get missed, but this one should not.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →