Inter Milan continued their perfect start to the 2026/27 Serie A season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Cagliari, strengthening their early title credentials under Cristian Chivu.
A superb first-half finish from Hakan Çalhanoğlu proved decisive at the Unipol Domus, as the defending champions recorded their second consecutive league victory and extended their dominant Serie A run against Cagliari to seven straight wins.
Çalhanoğlu Gives Inter the Perfect Start
Inter arrived in Sardinia full of confidence following their impressive 4-1 opening-day victory over Monza, and it didn’t take long for the Nerazzurri to take control.
Inside the opening 10 minutes, Nicolò Barella found Çalhanoğlu on the edge of the penalty area. The Turkish midfielder calmly opened his body before guiding a precise effort into the bottom-right corner beyond Elia Caprile.
It was an early reminder of why Inter remain one of the strongest candidates to lift the Serie A title in 2026/27.
Caprile Keeps Cagliari in the Contest
Inter dominated possession and created numerous chances after taking the lead, but Cagliari goalkeeper Elia Caprile kept the match competitive.
Caprile produced an excellent reaction save to push Federico Dimarco’s powerful volley over the crossbar. Juan Rodríguez later rescued him after being caught outside his area, with the defender recovering to prevent Barella’s effort from crossing the line.
Young Inter striker Pio Esposito also tested the Cagliari goalkeeper, but Caprile stood firm to prevent the visitors from establishing a more comfortable advantage.
Despite Inter’s superiority, their failure to convert further chances kept the contest finely balanced heading into half-time.
Cagliari Fight Back After Half-Time
Cagliari showed greater attacking ambition after the break.
Fabio Pisacane’s substitutions around the hour mark injected fresh energy into the hosts. At the same time, Inter goalkeeper Josep Martínez had to react sharply to prevent Alieu Fadera’s dangerous delivery from reaching Kevin Carlos.
At the opposite end, Inter continued creating chances but could not find the crucial second goal.
Lautaro Martínez, Alessandro Bastoni and Marcus Thuram all failed to convert opportunities created by the impressive Dimarco, leaving Inter vulnerable to a late Cagliari equalizer.
Inter Survive Nervy Final Minutes
Cagliari produced their best spell during the closing stages.
Adam Obert entered the penalty area before firing over, while Michel Ndary Adopo came agonizingly close to equalizing. His effort appeared dangerous before Yann Bisseck produced a vital defensive intervention to preserve Inter’s narrow advantage.
The Nerazzurri eventually held on to secure all three points.
Full-time: Cagliari 0-1 Inter Milan.
Inter Extend Dominance Over Cagliari
The result further underlined Inter’s remarkable dominance in this fixture.
The Nerazzurri have now won seven consecutive Serie A matches against Cagliari and have claimed victory in 10 of their last 11 top-flight meetings.
More importantly for Cristian Chivu, Inter has opened the league campaign with two consecutive victories for the first time in three seasons.
After scoring four goals against Monza and following that performance with a clean sheet away from home, the defending champions are already sending an early message to their Serie A title rivals.
What the Result Means for Cagliari
Cagliari may have suffered their first major setback of the campaign, but there were positives in their second-half performance.
Caprile’s excellent goalkeeping kept them competitive, while their late pressure demonstrated that Pisacane’s team can cause problems when playing with greater attacking confidence.
Their season will not be judged by a narrow loss to the defending champions, but by converting promising spells into goals as the Serie A campaign develops.
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Final Verdict
Cagliari 0-1 Inter Milan may not have been as spectacular as Inter’s opening-day demolition of Monza, but championship campaigns are often built on exactly these kinds of victories.
Çalhanoğlu supplied the decisive moment, Inter’s defense survived Cagliari’s late pressure, and Cristian Chivu’s side walked away with another three points.
Two matches, two victories and another dominant result against Cagliari — Inter Milan’s Serie A title defense is already gathering momentum.
