Inter Milan secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Cagliari, showcasing their dominance through effective set plays and marking a significant moment as Lautaro Martinez ended his Serie A goal drought, which had la sted nearly two months.
As the Nerazzurri prepared for the Supercoppa Italiana on January 2, they also aimed to keep pace with Serie A leaders Atalanta. The team welcomed back Stefan de Vrij from a knee injury, although Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi, and Benjamin Pavard remained sidelined. Cagliari, on the other hand, faced their fourth consecutive loss despite bringing back Yerry Mina, while Zito Luvumbo continued to be unavailable.
The match began with an immediate threat from Inter. Within three minutes, Lautaro Martinez flicked the ball at the edge of the box, allowing Marcus Thuram to volley a powerful shot that required a remarkable save from Cagliari’s Simone Scuffet. Henrikh Mkhitaryan later missed a chance after a defensive error, and Scuffet was again called into action to deny Denzel Dumfries following a controversial offside decision.
Cagliari’s Michel Adopo nearly found the net with a long-range effort that deflected off Hakan Calhanoglu but went just wide. Inter squandered a golden opportunity to score when Calhanoglu’s cross found Martinez for a diving header that inexplicably went off target from close range.
Defensively, Yann Bisseck made crucial interventions to prevent Roberto Piccoli from scoring, while Scuffet parried a half-volley from Nicolò Barella. After halftime, Inter finally broke the deadlock when Barella’s cross found Alessandro Bastoni at the far post, who scored with an unexpected header from a tight angle.
Martinez continued to search for his first Serie A goal since November 3 but came close with an angled shot that skimmed the post. Cagliari’s Razvan Marin created an opportunity for Piccoli, but Yann Sommer thwarted him with a timely save.
The breakthrough for Martinez came when he slid in at the back post to convert another cross from Barella after Cagliari failed to clear a corner effectively. Inter capitalized on Cagliari’s defensive lapses once more when Mateusz Wieteska was penalized for handling the ball during a set piece, allowing Calhanoglu to convert the penalty kick.
Sommer preserved Inter’s clean sheet by denying Mattia Felici’s close-range effort as the match concluded with Inter firmly in control.
Goals: Bastoni 53 (I), Lautaro Martinez 71 (I), Calhanoglu pen 78 (I)
Cagliari (4-4-2): Scuffet; Zappa, Mina (46′ Wieteska), Luperto, Obert (59′ Marin); Zortea, Adopo, Makoumbou (72′ Viola), Augello; Gaetano (59′ Pavoletti); Piccoli (84′ Felici)
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, de Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella (73′ Zielinski), Calhanoglu (80′ Asllani), Mkhitaryan (80′ Frattesi), Dimarco (73′ Carlos Augusto); Thuram (80′ Taremi), Lautaro.
