MILAN: Inter Milan put one hand on the Serie A title on Sunday after coming back from two goals down to win 4-3 in a thrilling match at Como and move nine points clear of Napoli.

Trailing by two in the dying moments of the first half due to goals from Alex Valle and youthful virtuoso Nico Paz, Inter looked set to give champions Napoli hope their Scudetto defence might still be alive.

But Marcus Thuram brilliantly poked home Nicolo Barella’s cross in stoppage time at the end of the opening half before the France forward pounced on a mix-up between Como goalkeeper Jean Butez and defender Marc-Oliver Kempf to loop home the leveller moments after the break.

Denzel Dumfries bulleted home Hakan Calhanoglu’s perfectly-delivered free-kick in the 58th minute and then completed the turnaround at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia by coolly guiding home Manuel Akanji’s knock-down 14 minutes later.

With six matches remaining in the season Inter now have a near-unassailable lead at the top of the table, while Como’s first defeat in two months left them outside the Champions League positions.

Pressed by DAZN into declaring that the title was already sewn up, Inter midfielder Barella simply said “let’s wait a little while”, and Dumfries was equally evasive.

“Today was a great win but every match counts and we have to stay focussed,” said Dumfries, who has missed a huge chunk of this season with injuries.

Como battled to the end with Lucas Da Cunha’s late penalty, for a soft foul on Paz by Ange-Yoan Bonny, nearly being followed up by a last-gasp leveller when Alberto Moreno smashed the crossbar from close range.

“Today my team showed me that we’re capable of and played with desire and courage,” said Como coach Cesc Fabregas. “Yes we made mistakes. We’re a young team, and when you do, these teams will punish you. That’s the way it is.”

Juventus have taken Como’s place in the top four of Italy’s top flight, a disappointment after a superb first half in which Paz was the star of the show with a brilliant 11th goal of the season and the saved shot which led to Valle’s opener.

Inter are scheduled to face Cagliari at home on Friday. They will then host Como next Tuesday for the second leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final after their first meeting ended in a goalless draw.

Despite the setback Como, who have never played European football, remain in contention for a Champions League qualifying berth. Fabregas said he remains focused on performance rather than the immediate standings.

“I don’t know what position we are in the table, because I haven’t checked since the start of the season and Im not going to now,” Fabregas said. “I just say that it was a good performance and we don’t stop now. There are six rounds to play plus the Coppa Italia, and well see where we end up.”

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2026