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MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 17: Marcus Thuram of Inter scores his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Cagliari Calcio at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on April 17, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Marcus Thuram, Nicolò Barella and Piotr Zielinski eventually broke Cagliari down for a 3-0 victory that takes Inter ever closer to the Scudetto, as Francesco Pio Esposito won the battle of the brothers.
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The Nerazzurri were fired up after the thrilling 4-3 win at Como put them nine points clear at the top of the table, but also had to prepare for Tuesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against the same opponents. Lautaro Martinez, Alessandro Bastoni and Yann Bisseck were out injured, with Petar Sucic suspended, and some squad rotation.
The Sardinians ended a run of five straight defeats by beating Cremonese to break clear of the relegation zone, but Luca Mazzitelli, Leonardo Pavoletti, Riyad Idrissi and Mattia Felici didn’t make the trip. It was a special moment as brothers Francesco Pio and Sebastiano Esposito faced off.
See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.
It was an aggressive start from Cagliari, as Sebastiano Esposito’s deflected effort forced a fingertip save from Josep Martinez, then Marco Palestra blasted over.
Francesco Pio Esposito completed a give and go with Marcus Thuram, but both he and Federico Dimarco saw attempted tap-ins denied by defensive blocks.
Carlos Augusto’s strike was deflected inches wide from the edge of the area, while Pio Esposito stung Caprile’s gloves at the near post after controlling Nicolò Barella’s pass.
Inter finally broke the deadlock after the restart, as Dimarco rolled across from the left, bending the pass inwards so that Thuram just had to cushion it over the line at the back post.
The second goal arrived soon after, as while Thuram’s attempt was charged down, Barella smashed in the rebound from just inside the area. He refused to celebrate against his hometown club, but cracked a smile when Thuram insisted on giving the midfielder a piggy-back ride.
Cagliari threatened too, as Manuel Akanji needed a desperate interception to stop Mendy meeting the Palestra cross after the offside trap failed.
Denzel Dumfries met the Ange-Yoan Bonny cross late on, but couldn’t keep his header down.
Inter added a third in stoppages, as Dumfries knocked down a ball on the edge of the area for Piotr Zielinski to hit a first-time right-foot screamer into the top corner.
Inter 3-0 Cagliari
Thuram 53 (I), Barella 56 (I), Zielinski 92 (I)
17-04-2026 19:45
MatchDay 33
San Siro Stadium (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza)InterCagliari
Live3 – 0
Player statistic
| 23' | Sebastiano Esposito |
| 25' | Gennaro Borrelli |
| Marcus Thuram(Assist: Federico Dimarco) | 52' |
| Nicolò Barella | 56' |
| Piotr Zielinski | 90+2' |
Inter
Cagliari
Starting lineups
13
Josep Martínez
Goalkeeper
32
Federico Dimarco
Defender
76′
25
Manuel Akanji
Defender
6
Stefan de Vrij
Defender
30
Carlos Augusto
Midfielder
2
Denzel Dumfries
Midfielder
20
Hakan Calhanoglu
Midfielder
85′
22
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Midfielder
76′
23
Nicolò Barella
Midfielder
89′
94
Pio Esposito
Attacker
9
Marcus Thuram
Attacker
76′
1
Elia Caprile
Goalkeeper
33
Adam Obert
Defender
76′
15
Juan Rodríguez
Defender
2
Marco Palestra
Defender
26
Yerry Mina
Defender
32
Zé Pedro
Defender
88′
10
Gianluca Gaetano
Midfielder
57′
8
Michel Adopo
Midfielder
25
Ibrahim Sulemana
Midfielder
29
Gennaro Borrelli
Attacker
57′
94
Sebastiano Esposito
Attacker
Substitutes
15
Francesco Acerbi
Defender
36
Matteo Darmian
Defender
1
Yann Sommer
Goalkeeper
12
Raffaele Di Gennaro
Goalkeeper
51
Christos Alexiou
Defender
48
Mattia Mosconi
Attacker
7
Piotr Zielinski
Midfielder
76′
14
Ange-Yoan Bonny
Defender
76′
11
Luis Henrique
Attacker
76′
16
Davide Frattesi
Midfielder
85′
17
Andy Diouf
Attacker
89′
90
Michael Folorunsho
Midfielder
24
Giuseppe Ciocci
Goalkeeper
22
Alberto Dossena
Defender
9
Semih Kılıçsoy
Attacker
12
Alen Sherri
Goalkeeper
27
Joseph Liteta
Midfielder
37
Yael Trepy
Attacker
20
Agustín Albarracín
Midfielder
18
Othniel Raterink
Midfielder
14
Alessandro Deiola
Midfielder
57′
31
Paul Mendy
Attacker
57′
28
Gabriele Zappa
Defender
76′
19
Andrea Belotti
Attacker
88′
