Although there were no major signings in last summer's transfer window, Inter Milan has maintained a strong competitive edge under the leadership of Simone Inzaghi. They are ranked among the top 8 in the UEFA Champions League and are just one point behind the top spot after 18 rounds in Serie A, with one game in hand. Before the second half of the league season begins, Inter faced a test in the semi-finals of the Italian Super Cup, with their opponent being the league leaders, Atalanta.
Atalanta won the Europa League title last season and currently sits atop Serie A under the guidance of veteran coach Gian Piero Gasperini, making them a formidable opponent. However, Atalanta has had no advantage over Inter in recent encounters, suffering six consecutive defeats and not winning against them in seven years. In this match, Lautaro Martinez missed several goal-scoring opportunities, but Denzel Dumfries' two spectacular goals saved the day, leading to a 2-0 victory for Inter. This result eliminated Atalanta and secured Inter's fourth consecutive entry into the Super Cup final, where they await the winner between Juventus and AC Milan.
To secure a place in the final, Inter lined up in their usual 3-5-2 formation, with Lautaro Martinez and Sébastien Haller as the front two. In midfield, Dumfries and Federico Dimarco provided the width, while Hakan Calhanoglu played as the single holding midfielder. Behind them were Robin Gosens, Stefan de Vrij, and Alessandro Bastoni, with Samir Handanovic in goal.
Atalanta, on the other hand, opted for a more conservative approach with a 3-4-2-1 formation, led by Nicolo Zaniolo. New signings Davide Brezze and Kristijan Jakic supported from behind, with Rafael Toloi and Hans Hateboer as wing-backs. Marten de Roon and Teun Koopmeiners formed the midfield barrier, while Josip Juranovic, Merih Demiral, and Robin Gosens made up the defense, guarded by Marco Sportiello.
From the start of the match, Inter created a great opportunity. Within just 30 seconds, Haller broke through on the right flank and delivered a low cross, which Lautaro Martinez shot at the near post, only to be blocked. He then passed back to the center, where Arturo Vidal took a powerful shot that was cleared off the line by Hateboer, causing panic in front of Atalanta's goal.
In the 10th minute, Inter attacked again, with Calhanoglu delivering a set-piece cross that Lautaro Martinez met with an unmarked volley, only to see Sportiello make a fantastic save, diving to his left to tip the ball over the bar. In the 16th minute, Toloi sent a cross from the left, which Bastoni headed clear but not far enough, gifting Atalanta a chance. However, Demiral's close-range header went straight into the arms of Handanovic, giving Inter a lucky escape!
In the 20th minute, de Vrij launched a long pass from the back, which Lautaro Martinez shot powerfully towards goal, but it was saved. Dimarco followed up with a shot, which was also brilliantly saved by Sportiello. Then, Dimarco took a corner kick, which saw Haller and Gosens connect with headers, but Lautaro Martinez's volley went wide again!
In the 37th minute, Jakic made a passing error that was intercepted, allowing Inter to counter quickly. Vidal crossed, Haller laid the ball off, but Lautaro Martinez's shot went high again! In the 42nd minute, Barella initiated an attack with a long pass, Lautaro Martinez played a clever backheel pass, and Dumfries was about to shoot when he was brought down in front of the goal, but the referee did not award a penalty.
After the break, Inzaghi made the first substitution, with Haller being replaced by Mehdi Taremi.
Just three minutes into the second half, Calhanoglu took a corner kick, which Gosens headed across, and Dumfries controlled the ball before executing an overhead kick that the Atalanta goalkeeper could only watch as it entered the net, breaking the deadlock for Inter, 1-0!
In the 61st minute, Inter continued their momentum, with Dimarco launching a counter-attack and sending a diagonal pass. Odilon's attempted clearance hit the post, and Dumfries struck a powerful shot from the edge of the box, hitting the underside of the crossbar and into the net to complete his brace, making it 2-0!
In the 72nd minute, Lookman received a lofted pass and crossed from the bottom, De Ketelaere's shot was saved, and Edson Silva followed up with two shots, one of which hit Dimarco and went into the net. However, De Ketelaere was ruled offside, leaving Atalanta with nothing to celebrate.
In the end, Inter defeated Atalanta 2-0 cleanly and neatly, achieving their seventh consecutive victory over the "True Blues" this season. Moreover, Inter has reached the Italian Super Cup final for the fourth consecutive season, waiting for the winner between Juventus and AC Milan, with hopes of achieving a four-peat!