Lautaro Martinez kicks Inter Milan off to 2-0 win over Cagliari

New Inter Milan signing Lautaro Martinez made the impact most Inter fans have been waiting for as he scored his first Serie A goal with the Nerazzurri and showed prominence on the pitch helping lead Inter to a 2-0 win over Cagliari Saturday at the San Siro.

It was Matteo Politano that sealed the win with a screamer in the 89^th minute.

It was the fourth straight win for Inter in all competitions.

Martinez, who started up front for Mauro Icardi, opened his account in the 12^th minute off a strong cross by Henrique Dalbert.

It wasn’t until the 20^th minute that Cagliari mounted any challenge. Daniele Dessena lofted a ball that found Artur Ionita, but Ionita’s header was off the mark.

Cagliari youth product Nicoló Barella nearly helped Marco Sau equalize in the 41^st minute, but Sau’s shot on went over the top cross bar.

That would be about the extent of Cagliari’s offense, as Inter went on the attack in the second half.

Attempts by Borja Valero, Stefan de Vrij, Antonio Candreva and Radja Nainggolan peppered the Alessio Cragno in the first 20 minutes of the second half.

Politano and Ivan Perisic, who substituted in midway through the second half, each had a pair of attempts over the span of 10 minutes, before Politano hit paydirt in the 89^th minute when his shot hit the bottom left to double Inter’s lead and put the match out of reach.

Even with extra time added at the end of the game, Inter continued to press and Politano nearly hit a brace in the 95^th minute after Marcelo Brozovic crossed over and Politano drilled a shot from outside the area, but the attempt went wide right.

The win moved Inter into fourth-place overall, tied on points with Sassuolo. However, Sassuolo will take on AC Milan Sunday.

The Nerazzurri will now hit the road to Holland where they will take on PSV Eindhoven in Group B play of the Champions League on Oct. 3. Their next league match will be Oct. 7 when they travel to SPAL.

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