Inter maintained their 100% start to the Serie A season as Hakan Calhanoglu’s early goal secured a 1-0 victory over Cagliari at Unipol Domus.
The champions made it two wins from two in their Scudetto defence, with Calhanoglu finding the net in the ninth minute after Inter had immediately put their hosts under pressure.
Lautaro Martinez had already headed wide when Nicolo Barella cut in from the right and rolled the ball across the area. Calhanoglu met it first time, sending a low finish through a crowded penalty area and beyond Elia Caprile.
Inter continued to create opportunities. Barella and Federico Dimarco both tested Caprile with sharp efforts, while a quickly taken attempt from Barella beat the Cagliari goalkeeper but was cleared off the line by Juan Rodriguez.
Martinez remained a constant threat but could not find the target, while Francesco Pio Esposito forced another save from Caprile just before half-time.
The Cagliari goalkeeper was again required to keep his side in the contest after the break, making important stops to deny Pio Esposito and Martinez. Those saves gave the hosts hope of claiming a point, but their late pressure produced little.
Adam Obert and Gennaro Borrelli both had opportunities to test Josep Martinez, but neither effort troubled the Inter goalkeeper as the visitors held on.
“Three points in the bag, job done in our first away match,” Inter posted on social media after the final whistle.
Inter create chances but cannot add to lead
Inter had needed a second-half burst of goals to overcome Monza in their opening match last week. Against Cagliari, Cristian Chivu’s side dominated the chances but were unable to turn their superiority into a more comfortable scoreline.
They recorded 30 shots, with seven on target, while their expected goals total reached 3.8. Inter generated 3.01 expected goals from open play, although Caprile’s performance was a major reason the hosts remained within touching distance.
Martinez endured another frustrating evening in front of goal. He registered 10 shots but only one was on target, while Pio Esposito had four attempts without scoring.
Calhanoglu’s goal also extended a notable personal record. He became only the second Inter midfielder to score in each of his first two Serie A appearances of a season during the three-points-per-win era, following Thiago Motta in 2011-12.
The 32-year-old has also scored 15 goals from outside the box since joining Inter. Only two other players currently have at least 15 such goals in Europe’s top five leagues during that period: Harry Kane, with 16, and Kylian Mbappe, with 22.
For Cagliari, the result continued a difficult home record against Inter. They have now lost their past seven meetings with Inter at home and have failed to score in each of the last four. Their late attempts to equalise were not enough to end that sequence.
Inter next take the three points from their first away match of the campaign, while Cagliari were left to reflect on a spirited but ultimately unsuccessful effort against the reigning champions.
