Inter 1-4 Cagliari: Zeman masterclass downs poor Nerazzurri

Date: 28th September 2014 at 6:08pm
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Cagliari earned a famous 4-1 win over Inter at the Giuseppe Meazza after a breathless first-half display in Serie A on Sunday.

The Rossoblu led through a classy Marco Sau finish, before a quick-thinking Rodrigo Palacio assisted Pablo Osvaldo to level the game. But, after Yuto Nagatomo’s sending off, Albin Ekdal scored three times in the first half to seal an incredible rout- and Cagliari even had time to miss a penalty.

Attacking immediately, Cagliari forced some desperate blocks from Inter, and within 10 minutes the home defence cracked. Playing a direct game, the slow Inter backline couldn’t stop a long ball from finding Sau, who fired in an 18-yard half-volley. There was perhaps a question of offside, but make no mistake- it was a really tidy finish.

The Nerazzuri attempted an instant reply, with the offside Osvaldo cleverly ignoring a through ball, leaving Palacio to run at goal, and hack a shot straight at the keeper Alessio Cragno.

Zdenek Zeman’s team sat deep after going in front, but managed to concede from a counter attack, with Palacio’s intial run seeing him fouled on the edge of the area by Luca Ceppitelli. The Argentine opted for a quick free-kick, finding Osvaldo standing in acres of space at the far-post. A calm finish from on-loan striker Osvaldo, who thanked his strike-partner for a classy piece of quick thinking that Inter had thus far lacked.

Then a game-changing moment, as captain Nagatomo, booked for foul on left-flank moments earlier, received his marching orders for a second yellow after a late challenge on Andrea Cossu.

Just a minute later Cagliari led again; Victor Ibarbo laid off for Daniele Dessena, with a long-range drive parried, and eventually falling for Ekdal to fire into the bottom corner.

Then, unbelievably, Ibarbo rolled the ball down the wing and outpaced Dodo before a superb dribble round Gary Medel. His first assist was confirmed as a superb cross found Ekdal for 3-1.

Before the half was out, there was still time for Nemanja Vidic to be skinned by Sau’s cut back, tripping the Italian, and conceding a penalty. Nevertheless, a glimmer of hope for Inter came as Samir Handanovic sprung to his left and saved Cossu’s spot-kick.

Such a glimmer was extinguished from the resultant corner, with Swedish midfielder Ekdal completing an incredible first-half hat-trick as more lethargic defending from Inter was punished to make it 4-1 to the away side at the Guiseppe Meazza. Cue breathless celebrations from a breathless opening 45 minutes.

In the second half Osvaldo had a disallowed goal for offside, as Inter floundered for a way into the game, and only a last-ditch Medel tackle stopped Cagliari from opening up a 4-goal margin.

Inter had the territory, but Cagliari’s counter-attacking meant the two teams traded blows, but the knockout punches had been made. The game was up, planting a huge question mark over Walter Mazzarri’s despondent team.

A typical display from a Zeman team, as Inter gifted Cagliari the tools to hammer them- and they took their chances with aplomb.

 

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