Inter Milan extended their impressive form in Serie A with a commanding 3-0 victory over Cagliari in the 18th round at the Sardinia Arena.
Inter Milan’s 3-0 victory was secured with goals from Alessandro Bastoni (54′), Lautaro Martinez (71′), and Hakan Calhanoglu (79′), who converted a penalty.
With the win, Inter moved to the top of the Serie A standings with 40 points, level on points with Atalanta. Meanwhile, Cagliari remains stuck on 14 points, sitting in 18th place.
Inter Milan started the match with early pressure and had the first opportunity just 3 minutes in. Lautaro Martinez played a pass to Thuram, who unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box, but goalkeeper Ciri made a brilliant save to deny him.
The Nerazzurri then squandered a clear chance after a well-worked move involving Barella, Lautaro, Thuram, and finally Mkhitaryan, whose shot missed the target.
In the 16th minute, Lautaro Martinez played a well-timed pass to Dumfries, who made a run from behind. Dumfries took a shot, but Ciri made an excellent save before the referee raised the offside flag, ruling the play offside.
Cagliari quickly responded with their first chance moments later, as Adobo fired a shot from outside the box. The ball deflected off a defender and went wide for a corner kick.
Lautaro wasted a golden opportunity in the 28th minute when Hakan Calhanoglu sent in a cross, and Lautaro, positioned just a meter from the goal, headed the ball over the bar in what should have been a simple finish.
Barella almost scored a stunning goal with a powerful left-footed shot from outside the box, but Ciri made another crucial save. Lautaro then tried to follow up the rebound, but he was flagged offside.
At the start of the second half, Barella took another powerful shot similar to his effort at the end of the first, but this time, his teammate De Vrij blocked it, preventing the ball from going into the net. Besik then tried to follow up with a shot, but it missed wide.
Inter finally broke the deadlock in the 54th minute through defender Bastoni. He rose to meet a cross from Barella on the right and headed the ball into the far corner of the net, giving Inter the lead.
A minute later, Lautaro wasted another chance with a low shot from inside the box, which went just past Ciri’s right post.
In a rare counterattack, De Vrij passed the ball to the center of the field, but Marin intercepted it and made a run, beating the Inter defence. He played a pass that sent Piccoli through on goal, but goalkeeper Sommer quickly came off his line to clear the danger and prevent a scoring opportunity.
Lautaro Martinez extended Inter’s lead in the 71st minute, tapping in a cross from Barella on the right with his left foot to make it 2-0.
Shortly after, the referee awarded Inter a penalty for a handball by a Cagliari defender. Hakan Calhanoglu stepped up to take the spot-kick and successfully converted, sending the ball to the right of the goalkeeper and securing a 3-0 lead for Inter.
Cagliari’s substitute striker Velchi nearly pulled one back in the 84th minute. Just moments after coming on, he fired a shot from the left side of the box, but Sommer was quick to react and made the save to maintain the clean sheet. The match ended with Inter Milan claiming a comfortable 3-0 victory.
