Cagliari-Inter 0-2
NETWORKS: 21’pt Dumfries, 30’pt Lautaro Martinez
CAGLIARI (4-4-2): Radunovic 5.5; Zappa 5 (40’st Shomurodov sv), Dossena 5.5, Obert 5.5, Augello 6; Nandez 6, Makoumbou 6.5, Sulemana 5 (40’st Deiola sv), Jankto 5 (15’st Azzi 6); Pavoletti 5.5 (35’pt Luvumbo 6), Oristanio 5 (1’st Di Pardo 6). On the bench: Aresti, Scuffet, Goldaniga, Viola, Prati, Kourfalidis. Coach: Ranieri 5.
INTER (3-5-2): Summer 6.5; Darmian 6, De Vrij 6.5, Bastoni 6.5; Dumfries 7 (26’st Cuadrado 6), Barella 6 (26’st Frattesi 6), Calhanoglu 6.5, Mkhitaryan 6 (37’st Sensi sv), Dimarco 6.5 (26’st Carlos Augusto 6); Thuram 7 (32’st Arnautovic 6), Lautaro Martinez 7.5. On the bench: Di Gennaro, Audero, Asllani, Bisseck, Agoumè, Guercio, Sarr, A.Stankovic. Coach: Inzaghi 6.5.
REFEREE: Blacksmiths of Ravenna 6.
NOTE: pitch in good condition. Spectators: 16,412. Booked: Mkhitaryan, Luvumbo. Angles: 4-7. Recovery time: 3′, 5′.
Inter beat Cagliari at home on the ‘monday night’ of the second day of Serie A and grabbed the top of the standings with full points for Napoli, Milan and Verona. At Unipol Domus it ends 2-0 for Simone Inzaghi’s team thanks to the seals of Dumfries and Lautaro Martinez, with the latter already climbing to 3 goals in the league reaching the other two strikers Giroud and Osimhen. First defeat in the championship for Claudio Ranieri’s men, fresh from a draw with Torino on their debut.
Although the nerazzurri immediately try to take control of the operations, the match is very balanced and fought in the opening stages. Close to the quarter of an hour, the first big opportunity is precisely for the guests: from a lateral foul hit by Dumfries, the ball slips onto Lautaro’s left-handed who kicks on the fly hitting the post. It’s still a matter of minutes for Inter to take the lead, because in the 21st minute Thuram recovers a ball from the frontline and serves it splendidly to Dumfries, who crosses with his right foot and signs the 1-0. The Sardinians immediately try to react by creating a great chance with Nandez, who was reassembled and closed splendidly by Calhanoglu at the moment of conclusion, then in the half hour Inter’s doubling arrives with the usual Lautaro: the Nerazzurri captain receives from Dimarco, checks and if he settles it on the right before putting Radunovic on the near post. In the second half, Inzaghi’s team, thanks to the double advantage, does not seem to have any intention of raising the intensity of the match, managing those rare offensive sorties by Cagliari without major problems. Luvumbo is the liveliest of his team, but in any case no great dangers come around Sommer: just one episode in the away area is worth mentioning in the 73rd minute, when the Sardinian striker goes down after an alleged contact with Cuadrado, not recognized by the referee nor from the Var. Only in the final did Inter come forward again, touching the trio with Calhanoglu, unlucky to hit the Nerazzurri far post of the evening, while on the other side the rossoblu challenge Sommer for the first time with Azzi, who from a few paces he fails to reopen the match right on the stroke of 90 ‘.
Salernitana – Udinese 1-1
Markers: 12’st Samardzic, 27’st Dia.
Salernitana (3-4-2-1): Ochoa 6.5; Lovato 6, Gyomber 6.5, Pirola 5.5 (39’st Ikwuemesi 6); Kastanos 5.5 (40’st Legowski sv), Bohinen 6 (8’st Martegani 6.5), L.Coulibaly 6, Mazzocchi 5.5 (17’st Bradaric 6); Botheim 5.5 (17’st Cabral 5.5), Candreva 6.5, Dia 7. On the bench: Costil, Fiorillo, Bronn, Fazio, Sambia, Borges, M.Coulibaly. Coach: Sousa 6.
Udinese (3-5-2): Silvestri 6; Perez 5.5, Bijol 6, Kabasele 6; Kamara 5.5 (36’st Zemura free), Lovric 6.5 (37’st Zarraga free), Walace 6, Samardzic 7, Ferreira 5.5 (30’st Ebosele 6); Thauvin 5.5 (50’st Quina sv), Lucca 6.5 (30’st Success 6). On the bench: Okoye, Piana, Nwachukwu, Zunec, Guessand, Pejicic, Abankwah, Ake, Semedo. Coach: Sottil 6.
Referee: Mass of Imperia 6.
Note: clear evening, pitch in fair condition. Booked: Lovric, Kabasele, Botheim, Bradaric, Pirola. Ferreira, Candreva, Walace. Corners: 7-5 for Salernitana. Recovery time: 3′, 7′.
It ends 1-1 between Salernitana and Udinese. The visitors broke the deadlock with a goal from Samardzic in the 57th minute. Fifteen minutes later the match was equalized with a goal from Dia. Game for long stretches with low rhythms and few quality plays: the right result between two teams still in the running-in phase. Sousa confirms almost en bloc the same formation capable of drawing at the Olimpico against Roma, while Sottil replaces the departing Beto (direction Everton) with the young Lucca. Samardzic is back as owner after the turbulent summer on the transfer market experienced on the Udine-Milan axis. Goalless first half in Salerno with Udinese trying to attack the home team high in their own half; on the other hand, the grenades show a slow and cumbersome maneuver which does not satisfy Sousa at all. The only noteworthy chance produced by the hosts was Bohinen’s round shot in the 38th minute just wide. Udinese proved to be more reactive than Salernitana on second balls and came close to the opening goal on two occasions at the end of the half. Lucca tries to head first in the 45th minute engaging Ochoa; the latter then, in added time, flies towards the crossroads and avoids Pirola’s clumsy own goal. First fraction not very spectacular and with noteworthy occasions only in the final minutes. After a bland start to the second half, Udinese unlocks the match with a sudden blaze. In the 57th minute the two most awaited men of the evening, Lucca and Samardzic, build the 1-0 goal: Kamara crosses from the outside for the former Ajax, whose side is picked up by the Serbian who crosses the shot and beats Ochoa. Salernitana seems to feel the psychological repercussions for the goal conceded, but, precisely on one of the rare occasions in which Dia and Candreva are triggered, the grenades find a draw. In the 72nd minute Candreva pits vertically for the Senegalese, good at piercing Silvestri with a low shot. Excellent entry for Salernitana by new signing Martegani, close to scoring the 2-1 in the 80th minute with a violent left foot at the near post. In the final the inertia of the match seems to turn in favor of the grenade, but Udinese resists. Sottil’s men move the standings after the bad knockout against Juve; second in a row, instead, for Salernitana di Sousa.