Inter Overturn 0-2 on 2.77 xG in 3-2 Napoli Win

Inter needed a second-half surge to turn a 0-2 hole into a 3-2 Serie A win at San Siro. The numbers explain why the comeback was not a fluke: 2.77 expected goals against Napoli's 2.25, 28 shots to 16, and 58 touches in the opposition box to 22.

Key Numbers

Inter held 63% possession and completed 481 of 537 passes (90%). Napoli sat on 37% and 261 of 335 (78%). Inter created five big chances to three and won nine corners to five.

Shot quality leaned Inter's way on target as well. xG on target was 2.93 to 1.73. Inter put 19 of 28 attempts from inside the box; Napoli managed 13 of 16. Inter also hit the woodwork twice.

Expected assists underline the chance-building gap: Inter 2.44 xA, Napoli 0.53. Final-third passing accuracy sat at 85% (170/200) for the hosts versus 65% (64/98) for the visitors.

Tactical Reading

Cristian Chivu's 3-5-2 controlled the first half without cutting Napoli open. Half-time xG was only 0.48-0.38. Massimiliano Allegri's 4-3-3 then struck twice in three minutes after the restart: Matteo Politano in the 50th minute, Rasmus Hojlund from a Giovanni Di Lorenzo assist in the 53rd.

Inter's half-time changes mattered. Marcus Thuram and Curtis Jones replaced Francesco Esposito and Petar Sucic. Federico Dimarco immediately found Lautaro Martinez for 2-1 in the 56th minute. Carlos Augusto later replaced Dimarco and assisted Thuram's 82nd-minute goal.

Napoli's two errors leading to a shot and Inter's extra volume in the box defined the last half-hour. Allegri introduced Kevin De Bruyne and David Neres on 62 minutes, but Inter still won 57 duels to 32 and kept pouring crosses (13 of 38 accurate).

Standout Performers

Lautaro Martinez scored in the 56th and 90th minutes, the second from a Manuel Akanji assist, and collected a yellow card. Thuram, on at half-time, finished the 82nd-minute goal that flipped the match. Dimarco and Carlos Augusto supplied the first two assists.

Politano and Hojlund gave Napoli a 2-0 platform that the 2.25 xG says they nearly deserved. Meret made five saves against 2.93 xGOT faced. Inter's keeper made six saves versus 1.73 xGOT and finished at -0.27 goals prevented.

What It Means

Inter sit first after three matches with nine points, eight goals scored and three conceded. Napoli are 10th on three points after a 5-5 goal record. The 3-2 result tracks the shot and xG edge more closely than the 0-2 scoreline did at 53 minutes.

For live soccer on TV viewers, this was a second-half possession game that Inter converted once the wing-backs and Thuram stretched a 4-3-3 that had just scored twice. The underlying numbers support the comeback more than they support Napoli holding a two-goal lead.