Lautaro Martinez cannot stop scoring against Cagliari as Inter eased past Claudio Ranieri’s team 2-0 in their first Serie A encounter at Unipol Domus since May 2022. Simone Inzaghi’s men were too hot to handle for the newly-promoted Sardinian minnows, putting a fourth straight top-flight win at this venue on the board.
After Milan, Napoli, and Hellas Verona, Inter became the fourth side to start the 2023/24 Serie A campaign with back-to-back victories. Denzel Dumfries’ early opener put Nerazzurri in the lead before Martinez’s fifth goal in his last three league visits to Unipol Domus sealed the deal at the half-hour mark.
Despite slowing the tempo in the second half, Inter were never at risk of being caught off guard, with Cagliari putting on another toothless attacking performance after a scoreless draw at Torino on the opening weekend.
Inter (3-5-2)
Yann Sommer – 6.5
The cameraman barely got to take any pictures of the Swiss goalkeeper in the first half. The few straightforward saves he had to make would never trouble a stopper of his stature.
Alessandro Bastoni – 7
Since his defensive skills were barely tested due to the home side’s lack of ideas in the front third, the highly-rated Italian enjoyed playing most of the game as a deep-lying playmaker. His passing was spot an, as always.
Stefan de Vrij – 7
After plugging all the holes in front of Sommer’s goal against Monza, the ex-Lazio center-back put another impressive shift in to keep Leonardo Pavoletti at bay. The Italian’s heir, Zito Luvumbo, failed to trouble the Dutch veteran, who could take Francesco Acerbi’s place in the starting XI.
Matteo Darmian – 6.5
It feels like the experienced defender is far better used to a center-back role than his original right-back position. He barely put his foot wrong tonight, forging an impenetrable partnership with Bastoni and De Vrij, which proved too steely for Cagliari’s attack.
Federico Dimarco – 7
In addition to setting Martinez up on a silver platter for the second goal, the attacking-minded full-back made a menace of himself, with his deadly crosses causing mayhem in Cagliari’s box time and time again.
Hakan Calhanoglu –
Playing deep in the midfield suits the Turk perfectly, as his vision and pinpoint passing compensate for his otherwise slow movement off the ball. With Cagliari refusing to pressure him, he was able to orchestrate Inter’s attacks with surgical precision. It’s a shame his first-time effort from the edge of the box rattled off the post.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan –
Unlike his abovementioned midfield colleague, the Armenian had a rough night by his standard. Despite constantly moving in the opposition third, he couldn’t impact the game the way he would’ve wanted. Maybe it’s time for Inzaghi to put Davide Frattesi in his place.
Nicolo Barella – 7.5
You won’t see his name in the headlines, but the amount of work he put in at Unipol Domus tonight was one of the reasons Inter walked away with a routine win. This game was another example of the diminutive Italian’s endless work rate in the middle of the park. He was too sharp for Cagliari.
Denzel Dumfries – 7.5
Though the Dutchman is no stranger to troubling the scoreboard, his brilliant finish into the bottom corner showed he has poacher’s skills hidden inside him.
Marcus Thuram – 7
Going scoreless in his first two Serie A appearances was not what the French forward had in mind, yet the numbers don’t tell the whole story. His speed, mobility, and technical prowess gave Cagliari a hard time tonight, not to mention his inch-perfect pass for Dumfries’ opener.
Lautaro Martinez – 8
Unlucky to see the post deny his devastating half-volley with a weaker left foot inside the opening quarter-hour of play, he slotted home in his third consecutive appearance against Cagliari with a delicate finish to put Inter 2-0 up. The Argentine has now scored nine goals in as many Serie A appearances against the Sardinians.
Substitutes
Davide Frattesi – 5
Full of running and energy but nothing to show for it.
Carlos Augusto – 5
It’s hard to remember any meaningful contact with the ball he had since replacing Dimarco.
Juan Cuadrado- 5.5
Looked lively since coming on, but struggled for an end product.
Marko Arnautovic – 5
Made several clumsy challenges since taking Thuram’s place but couldn’t make an impact as he did against Monza.
Stefano Sensi – N/A
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |