Cagliari vs Inter Milan

Inter made the trip to Sardinia count, riding an early Hakan Çalhanoğlu strike to a hard-fought 1-0 win over Cagliari. The champions never really looked troubled once they got their noses in front, dominating the ball and territory for most of the afternoon at the Unipol Domus. Çalhanoğlu did the damage in the 9th minute, finishing off a well-worked move set up by Nicolò Barella, who was named Player of the Match for his all-round display. The rest of the game was fairly tame in terms of drama, no penalties or red cards, just a handful of bookings, with Manuel Akanji and Alessandro Deiola both cautioned inside the opening quarter-hour and Kevin Carlos picking one up late on. Inter simply squeezed the life out of the contest, piling up shots and territory without needing a second goal. The win keeps Inter perfect through two rounds as they defend their Serie A crown, while Cagliari's frustrating run against the Nerazzurri continues, still without a win over them since 2019.