Dumfries and Lautaro hand Inter a 2 - 0 win over Cagliari!

Two goals, a clean sheet, and three more points. Inter build on their opening-day win over Monza by beating Cagliari to send another message to the competition. The keys to winning the day: good football, solid at the back, an unstoppable Lautaro, Thuram the assist man, Dumfries in good form, and teamwork until the very end. With all this combined, life was always going to be difficult for Cagliari, especially in light of the unstoppable football on show in the first half. Simone Inzaghi went with the same starting XI from Monza and the same ethos: getting men into the box and creativity thanks to the link-up between the forwards and attacking midfielders. This, combined with the midfielders' ability to make runs into the box, was devastating. Then, there's the Lauti factor; El Toro was in inspired form tonight and looked capable of creating something from nothing any time the ball was at his feet. In the 14th minute, he produced a stunning volley on the spin that struck the post. That was the prelude to the opener, which came in the 21st minute. Thuram, who was excellent tonight, regained possession of the football and played a neat through ball to Dumfries. Denzel's effort flashed across the goalkeeper and into the opposite corner; the Dutchman added a goal to his early season tally following an assist on matchday 1.

The lead gave Inter the opportunity to control the rhythm, but Cagliari remained in the game especially through Pavoletti's aerial threat, often found from the right-hand side. On the half-hour mark, though, a devastating piece of play doubled Inter's advantage. Dimarco flew down the left flank and played in Lautaro in the box: El Toro controlled, stepped aside the oncoming defender and expertly placed the ball home from inside the six-yard box. 2-0 and in control. The home side's woes continued when Pavoletti came off injured, with the fast and unpredictable Luvumbo replacing him to give Cagliari new solutions. After the break, the Nerazzurri were less forceful than the first half, with a slower pace and the team controlling possession. There was little excitement, with Cagliari relying on Luvumbo and his industry to carve something out, while Inter looked to avoid any risks. The match lit up towards the end when Cagliari put Inter on the ropes, with two important defensive interventions in the area. When Inter did push forward, they were always dangerous, mainly thanks to the fresh legs of Arnautovic and Cuadrado; the couple linked up and played in a perfect ball to Calhanoglu, who was unlucky to hit the far post. And in the dying stages, Sommer came to the rescue to keep a second clean sheet in two games, and maintain the 2-0 result, with an outstanding save from Azzi with the ball heading in. Keep it up, lads.

CAGLIARI 0-2 INTER - MATCH DETAILS

Goals: 21' Dumfries (I), 30' Lautaro (I)

CAGLIARI (4-4-2): 1 Radunovic; 28 Zappa (61 Shomurodov 85'), 4 Dossena, 33 Obert, 27 Augello; 8 Nandez, 29 Makoumbou, 25 Sulemana (14 Deiola 85'), 21 Jankto (37 Azzi 60'); 30 Pavoletti (77 Luvumbo 35'), 19 Oristanio (99 Di Pardo 46'). Subs.: 18 Aresti, 22 Scuffet, 3 Goldaniga, 10 Viola, 16 Prati, 39 Kourfalidis. Coach: Claudio Ranieri.

INTER (3-5-2): 1 Sommer; 36 Darmian, 6 De Vrij, 95 Bastoni; 2 Dumfries (7 Cuadrado 71'), 23 Barella (16 Frattesi 71'), 20 Calhanoglu, 22 Mkhitaryan (5 Sensi 82'), 32 Dimarco (71 Carlos Augusto 71'); 9 Thuram (8 Arnautovic 77'), 10 Lautaro. Subs.: 12 Di Gennaro, 77 Audero, 21 Asllani, 31 Bisseck, 34 Agoumé, 48 Guercio, 49 Sarr, 50 A. Stankovic. Coach: Simone Inzaghi.

Bookings: Mkhitaryan (I), Luvumbo (C) Added time: 3' - 5'

Referee: Fabbri. Linesmen: Mondin, Di Iorio. Fourth Official: Ayroldi. VAR: Marini. Assistant VAR: S. Longo.