Lautaro Martinez made his return to Inter`s starting XI, featuring alongside Marcus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu in the Serie A Week 5 fixture against Cagliari. The Sardinian hosts came into the match with momentum, having secured two consecutive victories, setting the stage for an anticipated clash at the Unipol Domus.
Inter had recently navigated a challenging period, experiencing back-to-back defeats against Udinese and Juventus before narrowly winning 2-1 against Sassuolo. With a UEFA Champions League opener away to Ajax already won, and a subsequent match against Slavia Prague approaching, manager Simone Inzaghi implemented some squad rotation for this league encounter.
Notable players like Yann Sommer, Denzel Dumfries, Francesco Acerbi, and Federico Dimarco were rested. Lautaro Martinez, however, had fully recovered from a back issue to lead the attack with Thuram, though Ange-Yoan Bonny was unavailable due to an ankle problem.
The match carried a special resonance for Nicolò Barella, a Sardinian native and former Cagliari hero, marking a significant return to his former club. An interesting family subplot also unfolded, with brothers Sebastiano and Francesco Pio Esposito finding themselves on opposing sides.
Cagliari entered the fixture in strong form, boasting successive victories against Parma and Lecce, complemented by a convincing 4-1 Coppa Italia win over Frosinone in midweek. However, they faced the challenge without Zito Luvumbo, Gabriele Zappa, Boris Radunovic, and Nicola Pintus, all sidelined with injuries. Veteran striker Andrea Belotti spearheaded their attack, while Yerry Mina anchored the defense.
Match Overview
Date: 27-09-2025 19:45 (UK time)
MatchDay: 5
Venue: Unipol Domus (Sardegna Arena)
Player Statistics & Key Match Events
| Minute | Event | Player |
|---|---|---|
First Half Highlights |
||
| 9` | Goal | Lautaro Martínez (Assist: Alessandro Bastoni) |
| 45+1` | Yellow Card | Carlos Augusto |
Second Half Highlights |
||
| 59` | Yellow Card | Nicolò Barella |
| 82` | Goal | Pio Esposito (Assist: Federico Dimarco) |
Official Starting Lineups
Cagliari Starting XI
- Goalkeeper: 1 Elia Caprile
- Defenders: 33 Adam Obert, 2 Marco Palestra, 6 Sebastiano Luperto, 26 Yerry Mina, 32 Zé Pedro
- Midfielders: 14 Alessandro Deiola, 90 Michael Folorunsho, 8 Michel Adopo
- Forwards: 19 Andrea Belotti, 94 Sebastiano Esposito
Inter Starting XI
- Goalkeeper: 13 Josep Martínez
- Defenders: 95 Alessandro Bastoni, Manuel Akanji, 6 Stefan de Vrij
- Midfielders: 30 Carlos Augusto, 20 Hakan Calhanoglu, 22 Henrikh Mkhitaryan, 23 Nicolò Barella, 11 Luis Henrique
- Forwards: 10 Lautaro Martínez, 9 Marcus Thuram
Substitutes
Cagliari Substitutes
- 20 Marko Rog (Midfielder)
- 30 Leonardo Pavoletti (Attacker)
- 21 Nicolò Cavuoti (Midfielder)
- 4 Luca Mazzitelli (Midfielder)
- 24 Giuseppe Ciocci (Goalkeeper)
- 9 Semih Kılıçsoy (Attacker)
- Juan Rodríguez (Defender)
- 34 Vincenzo Sarno (Goalkeeper)
- 27 Joseph Liteta (Midfielder)
- 16 Matteo Prati (Midfielder – In 44`)
- 10 Gianluca Gaetano (Midfielder – In 58`)
- 17 Mattia Felici (Attacker – In 58`)
- 29 Gennaro Borrelli (Attacker – In 77`)
- 3 Riyad Idrissi (Defender – In 77`)
Inter Substitutes
- 15 Francesco Acerbi (Defender)
- 7 Piotr Zielinski (Midfielder)
- 36 Matteo Darmian (Defender)
