Inter Milan continued their perfect start to the Serie A season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Cagliari.
After opening their title defence with a convincing 4-1 win over Monza, Inter Milan arrived in Sardinia knowing another victory would send an early message to their title rivals. Inter immediately took control, dominating possession and pinning Cagliari deep inside their own half.
The breakthrough arrived inside the opening 10 minutes, and it was a moment of quality from Hakan Calhanoglu. Nicolo Barella picked out the midfielder on the edge of the box, and Calhanoglu calmly opened up his body before rolling a precise effort into the bottom-right corner, leaving Elia Caprile rooted to the spot.
Our family photo 🖼️❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/VsbyPnf9hV
— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter_en) August 30, 2026
Inter should have added to their advantage before the break. Caprile was forced into a fine save to tip Federico Dimarco’s powerful volley over the bar, while Barella came agonisingly close after the goalkeeper was caught outside his area. Cagliari defender Juan Rodriguez had to race back and prevent the effort from crossing the line. Pio Esposito also tested Caprile, but the young forward could not find the net for a second consecutive league game.
The picture changed after half-time. Cagliari finally began to find their feet and became much more willing to push forward.
Fabio Pisacane’s substitutions just before the hour mark added fresh energy, with Josep Martinez producing an excellent stretch to prevent Alieu Fadera’s dangerous delivery from finding Kevin Carlos.
Inter, meanwhile, began to waste chances that would eventually come back to haunt them. Lautaro Martinez, Alessandro Bastoni and Marcus Thuram all missed opportunities created by Dimarco, leaving the champions with just a one-goal cushion heading into the final stages.
Suddenly, Cagliari sensed blood. Adam Obert fired over after breaking into the box before Michel Ndary Adopo looked certain to have an opportunity, only for Yann Bisseck to produce a crucial intervention and head the ball away. Inter survived the late pressure and held on for a second consecutive victory.
Three points in the bag, job done in our first away match ✈️🖤💙 pic.twitter.com/IiUvRCUtxS
— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter_en) August 30, 2026
It was not the most convincing performance from the defending champions, but Chivu will hardly complain. Inter have now won their opening two Serie A matches for the first time in three seasons, while their dominance over Cagliari continues with a seventh consecutive top-flight victory against the Sardinian club.
For a team expected to challenge for another Scudetto, getting six points on the board, even when the performance is far from perfect, is exactly the kind of start Chivu will want.
