Soccer Football - Serie A - Inter Milan v Napoli - San Siro, Milan, Italy - November 10, 2024 Napoli's Alex Meret reacts after Inter Milan's Hakan Calhanoglu misses a penalty REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo
Milan (Reuters) -Hakan Calhanoglu finally missed a penalty for Inter Milan after scoring a stunning equaliser as they were held to a 1-1 home draw by leaders Napoli in Serie A on Sunday.
The match was a rollercoaster for the 30-year-old Turkey midfielder, who scored a superb long-range goal to cancel out Scott McTominay's opener for Napoli.
However, he then hit the post with a penalty, his first miss for Inter from the spot to end a streak of 19 successful efforts and his first penalty miss since November 2016, when he played for Bayer Leverkusen.
The result tightened the race at the top of Serie A, with Napoli leading the way on 26 points. Atalanta, Fiorentina, Inter and Lazio all have 25 points.
While disappointed to let three points slip from their grasp, Calhanoglu admitted he was bound to miss a penalty eventually.
"We dominated the game, we deserved more. We were unlucky, I'm sorry I missed the first penalty, but I knew it would happen, I just didn't want it to happen today," he said.
"It was an intense match, many duels, we always tried to find our strikers. In the second half, we were better down the wings, but we couldn’t score."
The visitors took the lead in the 23rd minute against the run of play when McTominay pounced to poke home from close range after a corner was flicked on.
Two minutes before the break, Calhanoglu equalised with a powerful strike from outside the box, which beat Napoli keeper Alex Meret before nestling in the top corner.
Inter took control in the second half, pressing relentlessly and going close on several occasions, including a powerful shot from Federico Dimarco that rattled the post.
Tensions rose on the pitch when Inter coach Simone Inzaghi received a booking for protesting 10 minutes into the second half.
Calhanoglu then shocked San Siro in the 74th minute, hitting the post with his penalty after Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa fouled Denzel Dumfries.
Napoli went close to stealing the win in the dying moments when Giovanni Simeone fired his shot from inside the box high over the bar.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in GdanskEditing by Toby Davis)
