Sinigaglia under the floodlights on a Sunday evening. 11,975 people. Como 2-0 up on the stroke of half-time. The statement was made — not with words, but with football. Forty-four minutes of it. Then fourteen minutes of actual play, from the 45+1 minute to the 58th. In that time, Inter scored three times. The numbers say Como dominated. The scoreboard says Inter won. Both are true, and that is the cruelest part.
Forty-Four Minutes of Everything
Valle's opener in the 36th minute — Como's left-back arriving in the box with the confidence of a striker. Then Paz in the 44th — a long ball from Jean Butez from the back, Paz running onto it and finishing with a low driven shot past Sommer. 2-0. Sinigaglia was delirious. Como had controlled the match with the precision that has defined their best football this season. 60% possession, 484 passes to Inter's 324. Baturina's movement in the half-spaces was pulling Inter's back three apart. Diao was finding space on the right. This was, for forty-four minutes, the best Como have looked all season.
The Collapse
First minute of added time, first half. Valle is caught too high, leaving space down Como's left side. The cross finds Thuram. 2-1. The stadium is still processing the concession when the teams come back out. Four minutes into the second half — the 49th minute — Kempf misjudges a ball, Thuram reads it first, and chips Butez from the edge of the area. 2-2. Nine minutes later, the 58th — Çalhanoglu delivers a free kick to the back post. Dumfries is completely unmarked. The header is uncontested. 2-3.
Three goals. Three individual errors. Three moments where concentration lapsed against the best team in Italy, and each one was punished with surgical precision.
Como created 3.05 expected goals. Inter created 0.88. The scoreboard read 3-4. This is what happens when the margins are human.
Clinical vs. Dominant
The xG tells the story of two different matches. Como generated 3.05 xG to Inter's 0.88 — a gap that, in almost any other context, would produce a comfortable home win. Como had 24 shots to Inter's 7. They completed 87% of their passes. They won the territorial battle, the possession battle, the creative battle.
Inter won the match.
Dumfries added a fourth in the 72nd minute — a left-footed finish that effectively killed the contest. His brace, combined with Thuram's, accounted for all four Inter goals. Two players, seven shots total, four goals. That is the gap between a team learning to win these matches and a team that has been winning them for years.
Da Cunha and the Consolation
Lucas Da Cunha, introduced at half-time for Sergi Roberto, pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 89th minute — the foul on Paz confirmed by VAR. It was deserved. Da Cunha was one of Como's brightest players after the interval, and the penalty at least ensured the scoreline reflected something closer to the balance of play. But a consolation is still a consolation.
The Table Tightens
The damage extends beyond Sinigaglia. Juventus won at Atalanta yesterday, moving to 60 points. Como remain on 58 — dropped from fourth to fifth, outside the Champions League places for the first time since February. Six league matches remain. The arithmetic is uncomfortable but not impossible: Como likely need around 15 points from 18 available to secure a top-four finish. Five of the remaining six opponents are sides Como should beat. Napoli at home is the other test.
There is also the small matter of the Coppa Italia semi-final. The opponent: Inter. The venue: San Siro. The date: 21 April. Nine days from now.
One more stat worth sitting with: Inter have now scored 8 goals against Como in two matches this season — the 4-0 in December and the 3-4 tonight. That accounts for nearly a third of all goals Como have conceded in 32 league matches. The best defence in Serie A has one opponent that dismantles it completely.
