Inter kept their hopes of winning back-to-back Serie A titles for the first time in 12 years by thumping relegation-threatened Cagliari 3-1. Lautaro Martinez stole the spotlight again as the reigning Italian champions maintained a two-point distance from table-topping Milan.
Milan’s comprehensive 2-0 home triumph over Atalanta earlier on Sunday meant Inter had to win their match at the Sardegna Arena to take the Scudetto race into the final round. Though the pressure was on Simone Inzaghi’s side to deliver the goods in Sardinia, another uneventful showing from Cagliari helped the Nerazzurri claim a crucial three points.
Matteo Darmian broke the deadlock in the 25th minute to give Inter a narrow half-time lead. Only six minutes into the second half, Martinez doubled the visitors’ advantage with another sublime finish, sinking Cagliari’s hopes of avoiding defeat in one of the most significant matches of the season.
However, Charalampos Lykogiannis reignited the home fans’ fate with a sensational goal from a long-range distance, cutting Inter’s lead in half in the 54th minute. Unfortunately for Cagliari, it was pretty much all they had to offer in the second half instead.
Martinez made sure there was no way back for the Sardinians into this one with a beautiful chip over the Cagliari goalkeeper in the 84th minute, taking his tally for this Serie A season to 21 goals.
Though Inter will need Milan to lose at Sassuolo on the final weekend to defend the Serie A crown, which seems improbable at this point, Inzaghi still believes in his side’s Scudetto bid.
“Sassuolo are a very good side, they have a lot of individual talents. I expect a very open end to the season for the Scudetto, European places and relegation. Now we are here, we’ve got to try to go all the way,” he told DAZN, as relayed by TUTTOmercatoWEB.
“Naturally, we are behind, so we need a victory and for them to lose. It’s happened before, I won with Lazio when we were two points behind and Juventus lost to Perugia, so it can happen again.”
Inter will take on bottom-half Sampdoria at Giuseppe Meazza on the final matchday. Only a victory will do for the Nerazzurri, who will pray for Sassuolo to stun Milan for the second time this season.