Inter Milan Defeats Atalanta 1-0 to Retain Serie A Lead

Inter Milan secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Atalanta in Bergamo on Sunday, preserving their position at the top of Serie A with a one-point lead over AC Milan. Lautaro Martinez scored the decisive goal midway through the second half, extending Inter's unbeaten run against Atalanta to 15 matches and closing out the calendar year on a high note.

The match at Gewiss Stadium was tightly contested, with both teams creating chances but struggling to convert them. Inter dominated the first half without finding the net, as Nicolo Barella missed an open opportunity in the penalty area after a pass from Alessandro Bastoni. Marcus Thuram thought he had opened the scoring, but the goal was disallowed for offside following a VAR review. Atalanta responded after the break when Charles De Ketelaere netted from a rebound off a Yann Sommer save, only for that effort to be ruled out for offside as well. Luis Henrique tested Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi with a strong shot, but the hosts held firm until the 65th minute.

Martinez broke the deadlock after substitute Pio Esposito intercepted a poor pass from Berat Djimsiti near the Atalanta penalty area, setting the Argentine through...