Hakan Çalhanoğlu scored after nine minutes and Nicolò Barella supplied the pass as Inter beat Cagliari 1-0 at the Cagliari vs Inter match. It was Çalhanoğlu’s second goal in as many games, and Inter’s first league win of the season came from a move started on the right and finished from outside the area.
Çalhanoğlu and Barella made the difference
It took just nine minutes to break the deadlock at the Unipol Domus. Barella cut inside from the right and rolled the ball across for Çalhanoğlu’s first-time finish, drilled into the bottom corner with his right foot.
That is already his second goal in as many Serie A games, and the early return is exactly what Inter wanted from midfield. Çalhanoğlu has now scored 2 goals in 2 Serie A appearances this season, while Barella has 1 assist in 2 league outings.
The partnership was the sharpest part of Inter’s attack. Çalhanoğlu has now scored in each of his last 2 Serie A matches, and Barella’s assist was the kind of quick support that let Inter take control before Cagliari settled.
Cagliari kept the scoreline close
Elia Caprile made 5 saves for Cagliari and kept them in the contest after the early setback. He turned away Barella’s scorcher, then was alert again when Federico Dimarco’s volley needed pushing over the bar.
Cagliari also had their moments late on. Juan Rodríguez cleared practically off the line to stop another Inter goal, and Yann Bisseck produced a desperate block to deny Michel Adopo’s ferocious 10-yard effort for an equaliser.
Inter had enough quality to settle the match early, but they still needed a bit of last-ditch defending to finish the job. The 1-0 win was built by Çalhanoğlu and Barella, then protected by the back line when Cagliari finally pushed.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
