Late goals keep Inter in control of the Serie A title race

Late strikes from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Manuel Akanji secured a 2-0 win for Inter Milan in Lecce on Saturday, keeping the country firmly in control of the Serie A title race. Inter leads with 64 points, 10 ahead of AC Milan and 14 ahead of Napoli in third place.

A cutback from the byline in the 51st minute found Federico Dimarco on the edge of the penalty area and he fired a low shot into the corner, but the celebration was short-lived as Marcus Thuram had strayed offside in the build-up.

Inter made the breakthrough in the 75th minute when Mkhitaryan slipped free in the area and guided a composed half-volley into the net from close range after a corner had only been partially cleared.

Akanji secured the victory seven minutes later, heading a header into the top corner.

Inter suffered a surprise 3-1 defeat to Norway’s Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League knockout play-off first leg in midweek, but have now won seven consecutive Serie A games.

Attention will now turn to Tuesday’s second leg against Bodo as last season’s losing finalists look to keep the European campaign alive.

“We are aware of the difficulties we have in earning everything on the field and not taking anything for granted,” Chivu said DAZN of that game. «We have to be the best version of ourselves, because qualifying is still wide open. Nothing has been decided yet.»

(With input from AFP)

Published on February 22, 2026