Inter faces Cagliari... and Napoli clashes with Como
Inter Milan, the defending champions, will face hosts Cagliari on Sunday in the second round of the Italian Serie A, in a match where the team that won last season’s title seeks to secure its second consecutive victory.
Inter Milan started the season in excellent fashion, thrashing newly promoted Monza 4-1 away, sending a clear message to all competitors that they are ready to defend their title.
On the other side, Cagliari hopes to upset Inter Milan after securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over hosts Parma in the opening round.
Napoli, champions twice in the last four seasons, managed a late win in the previous round against hosts Genoa, securing their first victory under new manager Massimiliano Allegri.
Following the departure of Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku to Turkish club Besiktas, Allegri has continued to rely on Danish forward Rasmus Hojlund to lead the attack, alongside experienced players such as Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay, who was the team’s best player in the last two seasons.
On the other side, Como relies on youth, led by Spanish manager Cesc Fabregas, who successfully guided the team to promotion to the Champions League. The squad features several young talents, including Argentine Nico Paz, Croatian Martin Baturina, and Greek striker Dufkas.
Lazio, currently on three points after a 1-0 win over Bologna, also plays today against Genoa.
In the round’s opening match on Friday, Milan struggled before finally breaking through newly promoted Venezia’s resistance to win 2-0, thanks to the first goal from their new Portuguese star Goncalo Ramos.
Ramos, who became Milan’s most expensive signing this summer for 74 million euros ($86 million), unlocked Venezia’s defense in the 69th minute with a curling shot from inside the penalty area following a pass from Belgian substitute Alexis Saelemaekers.
The Portuguese striker, who joined from French club Paris Saint-Germain, had previously missed several clear scoring opportunities, most notably in the first minute and again in the 60th. Milan added a second goal in the 89th minute in an unusual fashion: Swiss substitute Ardon Jashari broke through to face Venezia’s goalkeeper but lost the duel; the ball, cleared by Serbian goalkeeper Filip Stankovic, struck a defender before rolling into the empty net.
Despite the win, Milan failed to fully convince its fans, who are still reeling from the harsh end to the 2025-2026 season when the team lost its Champions League qualification spot in the final stages.
With this victory, managed by Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim, temporarily topped the Italian league table with six points, after defeating Torino 2-1 in the opening round.
