Inter Milan and Napoli battled to a tense 1-1 draw in a thrilling Serie A clash at the San Siro, , with Hakan Calhanoglu delivering both a moment of brilliance and a rare miss.
Calhanoglu, who has been a reliable penalty taker for Inter, had his incredible streak come to an end after scoring a stunning equaliser earlier in the game.
Napoli opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, surprising Inter after Scott McTominay found the net from close range.
The goal came against the flow of play, as a corner kick was flicked on, and McTominay reacted quickest to slot the ball past Inter’s defense.
Just before halftime, Calhanoglu brought Inter level with a spectacular goal from outside the box, drilling a powerful shot that sailed past Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret and nestled perfectly in the top corner.
However, Calhanoglu’s fortunes shifted in the 74th minute. Awarded a penalty after Napoli’s Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa fouled Denzel Dumfries, the Turkish midfielder stepped up with confidence.
But his shot struck the post, ending his impressive run of 19 consecutive penalty goals for Inter and leaving the San Siro crowd in shock.
With this result, Napoli remain top of the Serie A table with 26 points from 12 matches, while Inter sit close behind in fourth place with 25 points, in what is shaping up to be a tightly contested title race.
