Inter Milan vs. Napoli: Score, Grades and Reaction from Serie A Game
Inter Milan 2-2 Napoli
Inter Milan twice came from behind to end their two-match losing sequence in Serie A with a 2-2 draw against Napoli at the San Siro Stadium.
The match had appeared to be heading for a goalless draw after 79 minutes, but Jose Callejon took advantage of an error in the Inter defence to give Napoli the lead.
Two minutes later, though, Inter substitute Fredy Guarin used his first touch of the ball to slam home an equaliser.
Callejon grabbed a second for Napoli in the 90th minute of the game and looked to have sealed the points and eased the pressure on head coach Rafael Benitez.
But after Inter manager Walter Mazzarri was dismissed during the celebrations after Guarin's first equaliser, Hernanes arrived in the area in the 91st minute to power home a second leveller for the home side.
Dani Osvaldo, Danilo D’Ambrosio and Yuto Nagatomo were all ruled out for Inter after picking up injuries during the international break, but midfielder Gary Medel started despite losing a couple of teeth in a collision during Chile's game with Peru.
Benitez kept Gonzalo Higuain in his team in the hope that his goalscoring form while on duty with Argentina would bring a reversal of fortune at club level, while Marek Hamsik returned to the starting line-up.
Joel Obi produced the first chance of the game in the fifth minute, but his snapshot was comfortably saved by Rafael.
Napoli were dealt an early blow when defender Miguel Britos went down holding his hamstring. He carried on playing, but it seemed only a matter of time before Benitez was forced into a change.
In the 18th minute, Inter should have been ahead. Hernanes placed a beautiful pass between two Napoli defenders for Mauro Icardi, but the striker's effort is tipped over the crossbar by Rafael.
Six minutes later and a Dodo right-footed cross from the left appeared to catch Napoli unaware, but Icardi just missed the flighted ball, which drifted wide of goal.
Hernanes wasted a good chance in the 27th minute when he blazed high over the crossbar from distance after good play from Mateo Kovacic.
Inter had been the livelier of the two sides, but Hamsik almost caught out Samir Handanovic at the other end to remind the home side that Napoli still had a threat.
Hernanes was shown a yellow card for a foul on Lorenzo Insigne, but he soon put his booking behind him. Some great control by the Brazilian in the 39th minute allowed the Inter man to turn quickly and release a snapshot, which struck Rafael's post and bounced clear.
Britos joined Hernanes in the book on the stroke of half-time for pulling Obi back.
Insigne should have given Napoli the lead five minutes after the interval when he collected a clever pass from Hamsik, but his weak effort struck the post.
Nemanja Vidic came forward in the 57th minute to meet a Hernanes corner. But the attention of Britos was enough to put the former Manchester United defender off, and his header flew over the bar.
Mazzarri withdrew Obi for Ibrahima Mbaye, whose initial crosses were of little danger to the Napoli defence.
Hamsik left the field in the 62nd minute after an ineffective match for Napoli, with Jorginho coming on in his place.
Hernanes was looking for a penalty moments later after going down under a challenge from Kalidou Koulibaly, but the referee was uninterested in his appeals.
Benitez also withdrew Insigne for Dries Mertens in the 69th minute before Higuain was shown a yellow card for dissent after no free-kick was given for Vidic tugging his shirt. However, Jorginho was cautioned in the 73rd minute for a foul on Kovacic.
With 11 minutes remaining, though, Napoli stole the lead. A throw-in from the left flank was misjudged by Dodo and Vidic with the Serbian only succeeding in flicking it on to Callejon, who controlled the ball before drilling home beyond Handanovic.
Two minutes later, however, Inter were level. A Dodo corner was flicked on by Icardi and an unmarked Guarin, who had been on the pitch as a substitute for Medel for less than a minute, slotted home at the back post.
In the celebrations which followed, it appeared that Inter head coach Mazzarri had been dismissed for encroaching on to the pitch.
In the final minute, there was another sting in the tail for the home side. Callejon caught a ball over the Inter defence perfectly to volley it home.
But the goalscoring was not finished. One minute into injury time, Dodo sent over a cross from the left, and Hernanes powered into the area to head home an equaliser.
The result ended Napoli's two-game winning sequence in the league and spared Mazzarri from further pressure after two Serie A defeats.
Selected player ratings
Gonzalo Higuain: A-
Higuain showed flashes of form in the opening period with some decent runs but lacked service as Napoli were pressed back.
Nemanja Vidic: B
The former Manchester United defender was barely troubled in the first 45 minutes as Inter pushed forward: went close with a second-half header but at fault for Napoli opener.
Joel Obi: A
It was an impressive first-half display from the Nigeria international, who looked bright and alert for Inter.
What's ahead
Both teams will next be in action in the Europa League on Thursday.
Inter play host to St Etienne of Ligue 1 in France in Group F, while Napoli make the relatively short trip across the border to Switzerland to face Young Boys in Group I.
Post-match reaction
Napoli manager Rafael Benitez was quoted as telling Sky Sport Italia (via Football-Italia.net):
"I must be happy with the team’s second half performance in a difficult stadium against a tough side. I think it’s very positive that we took the lead twice, while it is disappointing that we conceded again straight away.
We struggled in the first half, but I was very happy with the reaction after the break. As the game went on, I saw Inter push forward more and leave more spaces, so we could create more chances.
Higuain has scored in all the other competitions, he is a very important player for us and the goals will come.
Jorginho was returning from injury today, we lost Gargano and Inler was coming back from international duty. Inter pressed us and I think Inler and David Lopez did fantastic work defending today.
We must remember David Lopez only just joined us and is still adapting to Italian football, but he’s doing a great job.
"
