Roma moved to the top of the Serie A standings on Monday with a 2-0 victory against Torino, as Inter Milan kept pace with a high-scoring 5-3 win over Udinese. Both matches highlighted the competitive start to the Italian league season.
At the Stadio Olimpico, Dutch forward Donyell Malen scored his sixth goal of the campaign just before half-time, continuing his strong form for Roma. The former Aston Villa striker’s goal helped maintain Roma’s perfect record, with the team securing their fourth straight win. Italy midfielder Niccolo Pisilli sealed the victory in stoppage time, scoring in the 93rd minute to ensure all three points for the capital club. Torino, who sit 14th in the table, have won only one match so far this season, their most recent being a win over Fiorentina.
Meanwhile, at the San Siro, Inter Milan overcame an early two-goal deficit to defeat Udinese 5-3. French attacker Marcus Thuram played a key role, scoring once and assisting another. The visitors took a shock lead within the first 16 minutes through goals from defender James Abankwah and midfielder Jurgen Ekkelenkamp. Inter responded before half-time through Carlos Augusto and Nicolo Barella, with both goals set up by Thuram. Thuram then scored the equalizer just before the hour mark.
Young Italy striker Pio Esposito and Ivory Coast forward Ange-Yoan Bonny contributed late goals in the final 23 minutes to secure the victory, while Senegalese forward Idrissa Gueye added a consolation effort for Udinese during injury time. Despite the win, Inter remain second in the league, trailing Roma on goal difference ahead of their upcoming meeting against Roma next weekend. Inter’s England defender John Stones suffered an early injury, raising concerns ahead of the crucial capital city clash.
Elsewhere, Como climbed to third place after a 2-1 triumph over Parma, courtesy of goals from Spanish centre-back Jacobo Ramon and Brazilian left-back Kaiki. On Sunday, Napoli ended their losing streak with a narrow 1-0 victory against Bologna thanks to a goal by Slovak midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, easing pressure on coach Massimiliano Allegri.
In another notable result, Sassuolo’s Montenegro midfielder Vasilije Adzic scored a last-minute winner against his parent club Juventus, handing the Turin side their first defeat of the season in a 3-2 thriller. The early rounds of Serie A continue to reflect a tightly contested title race with several teams demonstrating strong starts.