Inter Milan were far from their best, but a late 1-0 win over relegation-fighting Lecce at San Siro on Wednesday was enough to give them a healthy lead at the top of the Serie A standings.
Inter labored against a stubborn Lecce team before substitute Francesco Pio Esposito scored from a rebound with 12 minutes remaining in what could ultimately prove to be a major turning point in this season’s title race.
Ange-Yoan Bonny, replacing the resting Lautaro Martinez, created an early chance for himself and danced his way past three Lecce players in the area, but his shot was parried away at full speed by Wladimiro Falcone.
From an almost identical situation, Bonny, surrounded by Lecce defenders, was awarded a penalty by the referee, but a VAR check ruled that Danilo Veiga had played the ball.
Inter huffed and puffed for the rest of the first half. Despair forced Henrikh Mkhitaryan to take a chance from distance, with his goal hitting well over the crossbar and into the stands.
Falcone punched away Nicolo Barella’s close-range header shortly after the break and easily collected an Andy Diouf shot as the host side continued to struggle to open up a stubborn Lecce defence.
The loudest applause of the night came when Martinez was launched off the bench with less than twenty minutes to go, and the substitute played a huge role in Inter finally finding a way through.
Martinez’s shot was parried by Falcone, and Esposito reacted quickest to slam home the rebound, to the relief of the home crowd.
Lecce remains 17th in the standings with 17 points, three points above the relegation zone.
Parma holds Napoli to a goalless draw
Napoli’s Serie A title defense suffered another blow when they were held to 0-0 at home to Parma, a third successive stalemate for the hosts, who could see the country lose further ground at the top.
Napoli came from behind in two 2-2 draws in both matches against Hellas Verona and Inter Milan, and could not make their dominance count against Parma in a disappointing match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The home side were frustrated in the first half, Scott McTominay had a goal disallowed for offside and Parma keeper Filippo Rinaldi made a number of fine saves on his club debut. Even after the break, no winner could be found.
Napoli remain third in the standings, level on 40 points with second-placed AC Milan, who go to Como on Thursday and are six points clear of leaders Inter Milan. Parma is 14th with 22 points.
Published on January 15, 2026
