Hakan Calhanoglu scored for the second successive Serie A match as Inter maintained their perfect start to the season with a 1-0 victory over Cagliari at Unipol Domus.
The Turkey international’s ninth-minute finish was enough to give the champions a second win from two matches as they began their defence of the Scudetto.
Inter had made the brighter start, with Lautaro Martinez heading wide before Calhanoglu opened the scoring. Nicolo Barella carried the ball in from the right and played it across to his team-mate, who met the pass first time and sent a low shot through a crowded penalty area and into the net.
The visitors continued to create opportunities after taking the lead. Barella and Federico Dimarco both tested Cagliari goalkeeper Elia Caprile with sharp efforts, while Barella later produced a quickly taken strike that beat Caprile but was cleared from the line by Juan Rodriguez.
Martinez remained a threat without finding the target, and Francesco Pio Esposito also forced Caprile into action just before half-time.
Cagliari’s goalkeeper was again required to keep his side within touching distance after the break, making important saves to deny both Pio Esposito and Martinez. Those stops gave the hosts hope of securing an equaliser.
Cagliari did apply pressure late on, but Adam Obert and Gennaro Borrelli were unable to seriously trouble Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez, and the home side eventually finished empty-handed.
Inter create plenty but lack a second goal
Inter had needed a late second-half burst to overcome Monza in their opening match, and they again produced a high volume of chances here. However, despite their dominance, Cristian Chivu’s team could manage only one goal.
Calhanoglu became just 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. The only previous player to achieve that feat was Thiago Motta, who did so in 2011-12.
Since joining Inter, the 32-year-old has scored 15 goals from outside the penalty area. That makes him one of only three players to have reached at least that total in Europe’s top five leagues during the period, alongside Harry Kane, who has 16, and Kylian Mbappe, who has 22.
There were nevertheless signs of early-season sharpness still to come for Inter. They registered 30 shots in total, but only seven were on target, with Caprile’s performance helping Cagliari stay in the contest.
Inter’s expected goals total was 3.8, including 3.01 from open play. Martinez had 10 attempts, with just one on target, while Pio Esposito had four shots as he continued to search for his first breakthrough in front of goal.
The result extended Cagliari’s difficult record against Inter on home soil. They have now lost their past seven meetings with the Nerazzurri at home and have failed to score in the last four. Their late attempts to rescue a point were not enough to end that run.
