In a thrilling encounter at Sardegna Arena, Inter Milan triumphed over Cagliari with a solid 2-0 scoreline in the fifth round of Serie A. Lautaro Martínez opened the scoring just 8 minutes into the first half, giving Inter an early advantage. Later in the match, Francesco Pio Esposito doubled the lead in the 36th minute of the second half, ensuring Inter’s victory.
Federico Dimarco stood out as the man of the match. The defender played a crucial role, clearing 3 dangerous balls from the defensive area.
Lautaro Martínez was also instrumental in the win, not only scoring one goal but also attempting 4 shots on target.
Cagliari’s head coach, Fabio Pisacane, adopted a 3-5-2 formation with Elia Caprile guarding the net, supported by a back line consisting of Zé Pedro, Yerry Mina, and Sebastiano Luperto. In the midfield, he deployed Marco Palestra, Michel Adopo, Alessandro Deiola, Michael Folorunsho, and Adam Obert, while Andrea Belotti and Sebastiano Esposito led the attack.
On the opposing side, Cristian Chivu’s team also lined up in a 3-5-2 formation, featuring Josep Martínez as the goalkeeper, with Manuel Akanji, Stefan de Vrij, and Alessandro Bastoni forming the defense. The midfield was composed of Luis Henrique, Nicolò Barella, Hakan Çalhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Carlos Augusto, with Martínez and Marcus Thuram up front.
The match was officiated by referee Marco Piccinini.
Looking ahead, Cagliari will face Udinese away, while Inter will host Cremonese at San Siro. Following this match, Inter now sits with 7 points, positioned in 10th place in the standings, whereas Cagliari has 9 points and occupies the 5th spot in the league table.
Substitutions for Cagliari
43’ 1T – Andrea Belotti off for Matteo Prati
57’ 2T – Alessandro Deiola off for Gianluca Gaetano, Zé Pedro off for Mattia Felici
77’ 2T – Adam Obert off for Riyad Idrissi, Michael Folorunsho off for Gennaro Borrelli
Substitutions for Inter
45’ 2T – Carlos Augusto off for Federico Dimarco
63’ 2T – Nicolò Barella off for Davide Frattesi, Marcus Thuram off for Francesco Pio Esposito
71’ 2T – Luis Henrique off for Denzel Dumfries
88’ 2T – Lautaro Martínez off for Ange Bonny
Bookings for Inter:
45’ 1T – Carlos Augusto (Time-wasting) and 13’ 2T – Nicolò Barella (Unsporting behavior)