Inter moves up after patient win at Cagliari
Inter Milan moved itself back into second spot on the Serie A table after scoring three second-half goals to beat struggling Cagliari 3-0 away from home.
After a goalless first period in which the hosts frustrated the defending champion, Inter finally broke through when Alessandro Bastoni scored with a looping finish from inside the box on 53 minutes.
Lautaro Martinez stretched to poke the ball home on 71 minutes to double the advantage and Hakan Calhanoglu fired home from the penalty spot to seal the result seven minutes later.
Inter moved above Napoli into second ahead of its game against Venezia on Monday (AEDT).
Simone Inzaghi's side is one point behind leader Atalanta after its 1-1 draw at Lazio, but will get to test itself against Gian Piero Gasperini's side in the Supercoppa Italiana next weekend.
Inzaghi will be hoping Martinez can continue his scoring habit after the striker ended his goal drought against Cagliari.
The 27-year-old Argentina striker had not scored for his club since early November, when his goal helped Inter to a 1-0 win over Venezia.
"Naturally, this situation was weighing on him, though we told him to relax and that he continued to give the team so much with his work," Inzaghi said.
"Lautaro will never be a problem for Inter, only a resource."
It was also Martinez's 10th goal in 10 league appearances against Cagliari.
The result means that Inter is unbeaten in 12 league matches, exactly the same record as Atalanta ahead of their clash in Saudi Arabia next weekend.
Inzaghi will hope to add another Supercoppa Italiana to the club's 20th Scudetto that he won last season.
"This exciting 2024 ended with the 20th Scudetto that will forever unite us with the fans, but now we go to Saudi Arabia for the Super Cup hoping to win it for the fourth year in a row," he said.
The winner of clash will face either Juventus or AC Milan for the title in the final in Riyadh on 7 January (AEDT).
"We know that we are Inter, we have objectives, and it is only right to declare them," Inzaghi said.
"It takes a lot of sacrifice. January and February will have us playing constantly, but I am fortunate to have players ready to give their all, whether for 95 minutes or five, and that is important."
