Cagliari 0-3 Inter Milan: Nerazzurri thrash hosts to keep in touch at the top of Serie A
Inter Milan secured their third consecutive victory in Serie A, triumphing over Cagliari with a score of 3-0 at the Unipol Domus, thereby ascending to the top of the league table, surpassing Atalanta BC on goal difference.
Cagliari sought to bounce back from a narrow defeat to Venezia, yet faced a formidable challenge from Inter, who entered the match with an impressive 11-match unbeaten streak in the league.
The Isolani demonstrated resilience in the early stages, despite Lautaro Martínez missing a prime opportunity from close range, misheading Nicolò Barella’s accurate cross, which narrowly skimmed the crossbar.
Although Davide Nicola’s side tested Inter’s defense with quick counterattacks, including a powerful shot from Barella that required a remarkable save from Simone Scuffet, neither team was able to score before halftime.
Consequently, Cagliari managed to avoid trailing at the break for a league-high 10th time, while Inter maintained their record as the only Serie A team not to have been behind at halftime this season.
Following the interval, Inter quickly dismantled Cagliari’s defense, with Alessandro Bastoni directing Barella’s cross into the far corner with a well-placed looping header that eluded Scuffet.
Nicola made substitutions around the hour mark, but they had little impact as Martínez scored against his preferred Serie A opponents for the 10th time, skillfully converting Barella’s precise cross from the right.
Subsequently, Mateusz Wieteska committed a handball in the penalty area, allowing Hakan Çalhanoğlu to confidently convert the resulting penalty into the left corner.
From that point onward, Simone Inzaghi’s team comfortably managed the remainder of the match, concluding 2024 on a positive note with their 27th victory of the year. The reigning champions remain unbeaten in their last 12 league matches, with their last defeat occurring against rivals AC Milan in September.
Cagliari finds themselves firmly entrenched in the relegation zone following their tenth defeat of the season, with five of these losses occurring consecutively. This represents their most significant losing streak since February.
SportsLigue