Inter edge Cagliari to keep perfect Serie A start alive

The Nerazzurri have now beaten Cagliari 7 times in a row in the league, and while this was not as emphatic as the 4-1 opening-day win over Monza, it still felt like the kind of result champions usually collect.

Match highlight

Cristian Chivu's side monopolised the ball early on and needed less than 10 minutes to make that dominance count. Nicolo Barella rolled the ball across the edge of the box and Hakan Calhanoglu, with little fuss, whipped a precise finish into the bottom-right corner beyond Elia Caprile.

For a while, it looked like the start of something much bigger. Cagliari barely offered anything in response during the opening half, while Inter kept coming forward in waves. The problem for Inter was that they did not finish the rest of their chances.

Caprile had a lot to do with that. The Cagliari goalkeeper showed excellent reactions to push Federico Dimarco's powerful volley over the bar, and he was also helped by Juan Rodriguez, who recovered well to stop Barella's effort after Caprile had lost his position.

Pio Esposito then had his turn. The young striker threatened more than once, but Caprile denied him too, first from one chance and then again from close range after the break, preventing him from getting off the mark for a 2nd straight season.

Fabio Pisacane's substitutions just before the hour seemed to lift them, and for the first time Inter had to think about protecting a lead rather than simply building on it. Josep Martinez had to stay alert to cut out a dangerous ball from Alieu Fadera toward Kevin Carlos.

Inter's wastefulness began to leave the door open. Lautaro Martinez, Alessandro Bastoni and Marcus Thuram all passed up decent opportunities created by Dimarco, and what should have been a calm finish suddenly became a little tense.

Adam Obert burst into the area late on and fired over, then Michel Ndary Adopo saw a dangerous effort blocked by a vital Yann Bisseck header as the Sardinians pushed for a late equaliser.

In the end, this was not their toughest examination, but it was still a useful one. After all, they had not won their opening 2 league matches in any of the previous 3 seasons, so this cleaner, sharper start will please Chivu.

Cagliari, meanwhile, can at least take some encouragement from the way they grew into the match.

Still, they were left empty-handed again, and by the time they return to San Siro in February, they will hope not to be staring at an even uglier run in this fixture.