Inter Milan 3-0 Cagliari: Nerazzurri move one win away from Serie A title

Simone Inzaghi’s side moved 12 points clear at the summit of Serie A as second-half goals from Marcus Thuram, Nicolò Barella, and Piotr Zieliński secured a routine victory at San Siro.

The Nerazzurri arrived knowing that the finish line was in sight, and while they were frustrated by a disciplined Cagliari defense for over an hour, their quality eventually told.

Marcus Thuram broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute, stabbing home from close range, before Nicolò Barella doubled the advantage against his former club with a clinical volley. Substitute Piotr Zieliński added gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time, drilling a low effort into the bottom corner.

The win leaves Inter needing just one more victory from their remaining five matches to officially secure their 21st league title. For Cagliari, the defeat leaves them 16th, still looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone.

Pressure finally tells at the San Siro

With the chance to extend their lead over Napoli to double digits, Inter started with the intensity of champions-elect. Lautaro Martínez forced an early save from Simone Scuffet, while Federico Dimarco’s overlapping runs caused constant problems on the left flank.

Cagliari, fighting for their top-flight survival, remained compact. Claudio Ranieri’s side survived a VAR check for a potential penalty in the first half and almost stunned the home crowd when Gianluca Lapadula dragged a shot wide on a rare counter-attack.

However, the resistance broke seven days after Inter’s high-scoring thriller against Como. Seven minutes into the second half, Dimarco’s pinpoint cross found Thuram, who got ahead of his marker to poke the ball past Scuffet.

Barella haunts former club as celebrations begin

The opening goal forced Cagliari to open up, and Inter exploited the space ruthlessly. In the 56th minute, a cleared corner fell to Barella on the edge of the box; the midfielder showed exquisite technique to hammer a first-time volley into the net. He chose not to celebrate against his boyhood team, but the San Siro faithful were under no such restraint.

As the clock ticked down, the atmosphere turned celebratory. Inzaghi rung the changes to rest weary legs ahead of Tuesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final against Como, and one of those substitutes, Zieliński, provided the final flourish. Picking up the ball in the 92nd minute, the Polish international danced past a defender before firing home.

The “Scudetto” is now effectively Inter’s to lose. With a 12-point cushion and only 15 points left to play for, the champagne is firmly on ice in Milan.

Player of the match: Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan)

We knew we had to stay patient. Cagliari are a tough team to break down, but the first goal changed everything. We are so close now, but we won’t stop until it’s mathematically ours.” — Nicolò Barella speaking to DAZN

Line-ups

Inter Milan: Sommer, Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni, Darmian (Dumfries 68′), Barella, Calhanoglu (Asllani 81′), Mkhitaryan (Zieliński 75′), Dimarco, Thuram (Arnautovic 81′), Martínez.

Cagliari: Scuffet, Zappa, Mina, Dossena, Augello, Makoumbou, Prati (Viola 60′), Nández, Gaetano (Luvumbo 72′), Azzi, Lapadula.

Next up for Inter: The Nerazzurri host Como on Tuesday, April 21, in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final, looking to maintain their pursuit of a domestic double.