Inter Milan 2-0 Lecce: Champions kick-start title defense with home victory over Lecce

Inter Milan further solidified their dominant head-to-head record against Lecce at the San Siro, achieving 18 victories out of 19 home encounters in the top division, as they rebounded from their disappointing start to the season with a convincing 2-0 win.

The reigning Scudetto champions, Inter, had previously relinquished a lead in stoppage time during their last match, resulting in a loss of two points against Genoa in their Serie A opener.

An immediate response was essential in this match, and the home supporters were rewarded with the first goal just five minutes after the match commenced.

A well-placed cross from Federico Dimarco found Mehdi Taremi, who directed the ball down for Matteo Darmian to score with a looping header at the back post.

Inter has now scored first in each of their last seven encounters, and they nearly extended their lead shortly thereafter, with Wladimiro Falcone making a crucial save against Dimarco's attempt.

The hosts dominated the first half, although they were unable to add to their early goal. However, they quickly sought to rectify this after the interval. A frantic sequence of play resulted in a flurry of activity in the Lecce penalty area, but ultimately, it yielded no further goals as the Nerazzurri continued their offensive efforts.

The Salentini struggled to create opportunities, and by the time Inter was awarded a penalty with just over 20 minutes remaining, the visitors had yet to register a shot on target.

After being brought down, Marcus Thuram expressed his delight when Davide Di Marco awarded the penalty, allowing Hakan Calhanoğlu to convert it effortlessly.

From that point onward, the reigning champions-maintained control, securing a relatively uncomplicated victory. Any dropped points in this match would have marked Inter as only the fourth Scudetto holder since the 1994/95 season to start a Serie A campaign without a win in their first two matches.

Fortunately for Simone Inzaghi, his team secured a fifth consecutive victory in their head-to-head encounters, setting the stage for a challenging match against Atalanta next.

Lecce remains at the bottom of the standings, possessing a goal differential of -6 and failing to score any goals so far. This goalless run extends back to the previous season and now encompasses five league matches.