Inter and Fiorentina drew 3-3 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday in Serie A after a dramatic, VAR soaked night in Florence.
A Stefan De Vrij own goal broke the deadlock after just 18 seconds, then on five minutes Matias Vecino equalised for Inter. Matteo Politano gave the lead to the Nerazzurri just before half time, and Ivan Perisic made it three just after the break.
Luis Muriel pulled one back for Fiorentina who completed the late comeback with a Jordan Veretout penalty in the dying moments of the game.
The result reignites the race for third spot as Inter are now just two points ahead of fourth place AC Milan, with Roma a further point behind. Meanwhile, Fiorentina are three points off the Europa League spots.
The match started in the most entertaining way possible, as Federico Chiesa was picked out with a lovely long pass, and then assisted Giovanni Simeone, who made a bad connection with the ball but it was enough to have De Vrij deflecting into his own net.
Fiorentina’s lead lasted just five minutes, as former Viola man Vecino fired home from close range to make it 1-1, though he didn’t celebrate in front of his old fans.
What followed was a very balanced first half, with Gerson coming closest to scoring again for Fiorentina, but shot wide from the edge of the box.
Minutes before the half time whistle, Politano cut inside onto his left foot and curled a great strike past Alban Lafont to give the Nerazzurri in the lead.
Just after the break, Perisic looked like he had put the game to bed after slotting home from the spot with VAR awarding the penalty for an Edimilson Fernandes handball.
Stefano Pioli brought on Marko Pjaca and Muriel to try and turn things around and give more attacking power to the Viola, though it was VAR which came to Inter’s rescue as Cristiano Biraghi’s goal was disallowed for a Muriel foul on Danilo D’Ambrosio.
It was Muriel’s time to shine as the Colombian smashed a beauty of a free kick in the top corner and put Fiorentina back in the game with 15 minutes left to play.
There was more VAR drama as Fiorentina were awarded a penalty for a D’Ambrosio handball on 95 minutes. Veretout made no mistake from the spot to give the Viola a well earned point.
Inter are now two points clear of AC Milan, with just two weeks to the Milanese derby, whilst Fiorentina are still in the scrum for a Europa League spot.
THE BEST NINJA
It took a while – to say the least – but finally Inter are experiencing what it means to have a fully fit Radja Nainggolan. The Belgian had an extremely solid performance, consistently at te heart of the Nerazzurri’s game going forward, and always there to help at the back. The former Roma man seems to have fully surpassed the difficult phase, combining his technique with his physical strength. Vital for Inter to have him at his best in this moment of the season.
CAPTAIN CHIESA
A great game for Chiesa, starting with the run leading to De Vrij’s own goal and continuing with consistently giving Inter trouble. Attacking from left, right and centre, Chiesa was a problem for the Nerazzurri, with his pace and quality. Wearing the captain’s armband, the youngster showed once again why so many top clubs want him. Not an easy night for Fiorentina, but the number 25 stood out once again.
