Ruslan Malinovskyi shone in Atalanta’s 2-2 draw against Inter at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Saturday, and was key in helping his side come back from behind in the first half, before the Serie A defending champions managed to level the score.
After a poor haul consisting of zero goals and one assist in his first five Serie A appearances this campaign, some had cast doubt on whether the Ukrainian could repeat last season’s performances, but the offensive midfielder proved his detractors wrong with a brilliant display against Inter.
ATALANTA PLAYER RATINGS v INTER
Musso 7; Toloi 6.5, Demiral 5.5, Palomino 6 (Mahele 6); Zappacosta 5.5 (Pasalic n/a), Freuler 6, De Roon 5.5, Gosens 6; Pessina 5.5 (Djimsiti 5.5), Malinovskyi 7.5 (Ilicic 6); Zapata 6 (Piccoli 6).
ATALANTA PLAYER OF THE MATCH – RUSLAN MALINOVSKY
There was a reason, beyond Luis Muriel’s absence, that Atalanta had only scored six goals in five Serie A matches before this game. In fact, their most prolific midfielder last season still had to find the net before Saturday, but compensated for that by putting in an inspired performance which helped La Dea earn a draw against a tough Inter team.
Malinovskyi scored a crucial equaliser, which turned the game on its head, before producing another spark that allowed Rafael Toloi to complete a first half turnaround for the Orobici. The Ukrainian could have given his side a more comfortable gap when he hit the inside of the post with a precise freekick, and overall he was simply a constant threat for Inter’s defence.
