Serie A – Inter Milan thrashed Cagliari 3-0, securing Champions League qualification with five games to spare.

In the 33rd round of the 2025/26 Serie A season, Inter Milan defeated Cagliari 3-0 at home. They currently sit comfortably at the top of the table with a record of 25 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses, accumulating 78 points, and are 12 points ahead of Napoli, who are behind them, having played one more game.

Cagliari's record is now 8 wins, 9 draws and 16 losses, and they are currently ranked 16th in Serie A with 33 points.

In the opening stages of the first half, Cagliari attempted to take the initiative but failed to capitalize: In the 3rd minute, Marco Palestella broke into the penalty area and passed the ball back to Sebastiano Esposito, whose long-range shot was saved by Josep Martinez. In the 12th minute, Gennaro Borelli delivered a diagonal pass from the edge of the penalty area, but Palestella's shot from the right went over the crossbar.

As the game progressed, AC Milan gradually took control of the match. In the 33rd minute, Hakan Çalhanoğlu took a corner kick from the right, and Denzel Dumfries' header at the far post went high and wide. In the 40th minute, Nicolo Barella's cross from the attacking third caused Ze Pedro to make a clearance error, and Pio Esposito's powerful shot was successfully saved by Elia Caprile.

The second half began with both sides switching ends. In the 52nd minute, Inter Milan finally broke the deadlock: Federico Dimarco broke through on the left wing into the penalty area and delivered a cross, which Marcus Thuram met with a low shot into the far corner. In the 56th minute, Thuram's shot was blocked by Juan Rodriguez, but Barella followed up to score, extending the lead to 2-0.

However, Inter Milan failed to score for the next 30 minutes. The game finally changed in the second minute of stoppage time: Pyotr Zielinski unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the box, sealing a three-goal victory for Inter. This win gave Inter their third consecutive league victory, securing their Champions League qualification for next season with five rounds to spare.

Image source: Internet/Inter Milan official website