Inter's Italian league championship hopes dented by Atalanta stalemate

In a thrilling Italian Serie A football match, Atalanta's Montenegrin forward #90 Nikola Krstovic clashed with Inter Milan's Dutch defender #6 Stefan de Vrij at the San Siro stadium in Milan, northern Italy, on March 14, 2026.

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Inter Milan's bid to reclaim the Serie A title hit a roadblock after a 1-1 draw with Atalanta, who rebounded from their Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich.

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Nikola Krstovic scored in the 82nd minute, cancelling out Pio Esposito's 26th-minute goal and earning a point for Atalanta at the San Siro.

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However, Inter coach Cristian Chivu and his players were furious about Krstovic's goal, claiming a push on Denzel Dumfries by Kamaldeen Sulemana led to the leveller.

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Chivu's vehement protests against the officials resulted in his ejection from the game, marking a heated conclusion to what had been a relatively uneventful match in Milan.

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Denzel Dumfries was left stunned when referee Gianluca Manganiello awarded the goal, giving AC Milan an opportunity to close the gap with their local rivals to five points.

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Home fans were further outraged when Davide Frattesi was denied a penalty after a challenge from Giorgio Scalvini, who was cleared of committing a foul.

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In protest of the decisions, no Inter player or staff member spoke to the media after the game.

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AC Milan, who won their local derby against Inter last weekend, will face Lazio in Rome on Sunday night, potentially reigniting the title race.

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Atalanta's hard-fought point came on the heels of their 6-1 defeat by Bayern in the Champions League, a competition they are still in contention to qualify for this season.

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Atalanta, who face Bayern in Munich on Wednesday, trail Como and Roma by four points in the battle for a top-four spot, with the latter two teams set to face off on Sunday.

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Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino praised his team's reaction, saying, "I really liked the reaction of the team, it’s very easy to still be affected as it was only four days ago that we played Bayern."

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Palladino added, "But the team played like men, like the good players that they are."

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Juventus, one point behind Roma and Como, can move into the top four with a win at Udinese in Saturday's late match.

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Reigning champions Napoli, 12 points behind Inter in third place, can reduce the gap when they face Lecce in Naples, where Antonio Conte's team remains unbeaten in league play this season.