2-2 – Chivu hails Inter’s remarkable second-half character
Cristian Chivu insisted Inter’s second-half attitude, grit and character were remarkable after Lautaro Martinez’s brace rescued a 2-2 draw at Roma, having trailed 2-0 at half-time at the Olimpico.
Manu Koné’s double had Roma cruising after 37 minutes, with his second goal only standing after a VAR review overturned an initial offside call against Gianluca Mancini’s flick-on from a Paulo Dybala cross. Lautaro Martinez then needed just 51 seconds of the restart to halve the deficit, finishing off a Marcus Thuram centre.
The captain completed the turnaround in the 79th minute, pouncing after Mile Svilar had denied Thuram’s header and Lautaro’s own follow-up had cannoned back off the crossbar. Both sides had arrived at the Stadio Olimpico with maximum points from four Serie A matchdays, according to beIN Sports.
Chivu keeps the half-time message private
Whatever Chivu said to his players in the away dressing room at the break, it clearly landed. The Romanian declined to reveal the details but was happy to assess what followed on the pitch.
“I will focus on the second half, which in terms of attitude, grit and character was remarkable,” Chivu said. “We were up against a great opponent, we know what Roma represent, and it was an entertaining match.”
“I think in the second half, we dragged out a little more than we’ve seen so far this season. We’ve got to build on that.”
“I repeat, certain things remain between me and the players, but it remains a good point in a difficult place for anyone to play.”
Roma were far from passive after the interval. Donyell Malen’s volley drew a fine save from Josep Martinez, while Svilar had to be alert at the other end before Inter finally levelled – a reminder that this was a match still up for grabs, not a one-sided rout of Chivu’s Inter comeback mentality in isolation.
Gasperini sees a fair result
Gian Piero Gasperini, whose Roma side had been reduced to 10 changes and shuffled personnel throughout the second half, offered a measured verdict of his own.
“I think we played on level terms, both teams could’ve won at different points,” Gasperini said. “Scoring the goal straight after the restart was an energy booster for a great Inter team, they can always score goals, but we had our chances too.”
“This match must give us confidence going forward.”
Roma were already missing Hakan Calhanoglu from the opposite dugout’s perspective, with Inter’s own squad news having shaped selection heading into the fixture. Chivu now looks to translate that second-half response into consistency, while Gasperini takes his side’s belief into the next round of fixtures after the international break.
