Inter defeats Cagliari 0-1 and remains undefeated in Serie A

Inter beat Cagliari 1-0 on the road and return to the top of the table alongside Milan, Juventus, and Lazio. The first half was a constant Inter assault. Inter immediately took control of possession and broke the deadlock in the 9th minute with a goal by Calhanoglu, assisted by former Inter player Barella. In the 22nd minute, Lautaro Martinez—who had been quiet up to that point—came to life, and his diagonal shot grazed the post.

Cagliari stayed in the game thanks to saves by Caprile—first against Barella, then miraculously against Dimarco, two meters from the goal, in the 27th minute. Instead, it was Rodriguez who, in the 32nd minute, cleared the ball off the goal line, with Caprile already beaten by Barella.

Caprile came to the rescue again just as the 45th minute ticked over, punching away a shot from Esposito. Inter’s dominance was interrupted only by Fabbri’s double whistle, sending everyone to the locker rooms.

The second half was more evenly matched. Barella takes down Maldini at the edge of the box in the 48th minute: the Cagliari player’s free kick is deflected for a corner by the wall. Then Inter’s dominance resumes: Caprile, in the 52nd minute, saves a shot by Esposito.

In the 61st minute, Fadera’s shot-cum-cross put Martinez in a bind, and the goalkeeper dove to tip it away for a corner. Two minutes later, Carlos, who had just come on, forced the Nerazzurri goalkeeper to make a desperate save at the edge of the box.

The Rossoblù, having made numerous substitutions, tried to regroup, but in the 76th minute, it was Thuram who had a great chance: his header, beating Caprile to the ball, slowly rolled wide.

In the 84th minute, Inter was saved by Bisseck, who headed a shot by Adopo—with the goal practically wide open—out for a corner. Caprile denied Lautaro again in the 86th minute. In the closing minutes, Cagliari created several dangerous chances, but Chivu’s Inter showed they could weather the storm and brought the three points back to Milan.

Article by Daniele Caruso