Alessandro Bastoni’s header, Lautaro Martinez’s first goal since November 3 and a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty took Inter to the top of Serie A with a fifth straight league win as the reigning champions won 3-0 at stubborn Cagliari on Saturday.
Center back Bastoni curled a free kick from former Cagliari midfielder Nicolo Barella over goalkeeper Simone Scuffet in the 54th minute, putting Inter on track to surpass Atalanta on goal difference and move two points clear of third-placed Napoli.
Martinez ended his fruitless run with a volley with 19 minutes left and Calhanoglu sent Scuffet the wrong way seven minutes later after Mateusz Wieteska was caught handballing inside the penalty area.
The result kept Cagliari in the relegation zone with their fourth consecutive league defeat, although 15th-placed Lecce are just two points ahead of Gli Isolani.
Cagliari have played against Milan, Juventus and Roma this season and Davide Nicola’s side almost equalized shortly before Martinez’s strike, only for Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer to bravely save Roberto Piccoli as the striker ran towards goal.
Martinez had the best chance of the first half when he headed Calhanoglu’s cross off the line with an extremely wasteful effort in the 28th minute.
Piccoli might have given Cagliari the lead had he scored five minutes later, and Scuffet saved Barella’s half-volley as half-time approached.
Former Fiorentina, Everton and Barcelona defender Yerry Mina was a nuisance for Inter before the break but was replaced by Wieteska in the second half with a calf injury.
Atalanta can overtake Inter when they visit fourth-placed Lazio on Saturday (7:45 p.m. GMT), while Napoli play second-placed Venezia at home on Sunday (2:00 p.m.).
Serie A results today: Genoa defeats Empoli
Elsewhere in Serie A on Saturday, second-half goals from Milan Badelj and Caleb Ekuban gave Genoa a 2-1 win at 12th-placed Empoli, with whom they were level on points.
Sebastiano Esposito had a chance to equalize after Badelj’s opener from the penalty spot, but man of the match Nicola Leali turned his shot against the woodwork.
On-loan Inter striker Esposito enjoyed some redemption when he scored with 16 minutes left to seal Empoli’s third consecutive one-goal defeat.
PARMA SCORED IN THE LAST SECONDS!!! 🚨🚨🚨#ParmaMonza 2-1 pic.twitter.com/ec1CwaIOtU
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) December 28, 2024
It took Parma until the 98th minute to move four points clear of the relegation zone with a 2-1 home win over Monza, with Lautaro Valenti deciding the battle.
In new Monza coach Salvatore Bocchetti’s first game, Pablo Mari was sent off for a second yellow card from the bottom team in the 54th minute after a review by the video assistant referee, with Hernani converting the resulting penalty.
Pedro Pereira’s equalizer five minutes before the end of normal time gave only brief hope to the visitors, who are five points from safety.
