Although they were excluded from the last eight of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid, Inter's consistency in Serie A was unique, with 82 points after 31 rounds, leaving AC Milan and Juventus in despair. This weekend, the 32nd round of Serie A kicks off, Inter Milan hosts promoted Macagliari, who are in 14th place, only three points ahead of the relegation zone, and the pressure of relegation is still not lifted. In the last five meetings between the two teams, Inter Milan have won all of them, and the Nerazzurri have a clear psychological advantage. In this game, Lautaro was suspended, Thuram Jr. and Calhanoglu scored successively, but Shomurodov and Viola equalized in succession, and the two teams drew 2-2. Inter are unbeaten in 26 games, leading Serie A with 14 points, and the next round is the Milan derby, and the Nerazzurri are expected to end the title race early.
With the prospect of winning the title bright, Inzaghi Jr. still sent most of the main players, Sommer continued to guard the goal for Inter, Bisek, Acerbi and Bastoni formed a back three system, the five midfielders were Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan and Dimarco, Sanchez and Thuram Jr. combined with the double arrow, and Lautaro and Pavard accumulated yellow cards and were suspended.
After the game started, Inter took the initiative without any suspense. Just five minutes into the game, Dimarco's corner cross was cleared and Barella volleyed in from outside the box with a high-quality arrow that Skufit flew to save.
In the 13th minute, Inter Milan broke the deadlock: Darmian made a wonderful pass with the outside of his foot on the right side, Sanchez accelerated to break through the bottom cross, Thuram Jr. grabbed the point and pushed it, the ball went into the net, and the Nerazzurri took the lead, 1-0! Thuram Jr. scored 13 goals and 7 assists in all competitions this season, including 11 goals and 7 assists in Serie A, and was the second scorer in the team after Lautaro.
In the 24th minute, Bastoni forced his way into the box and fell to the ground under Di Pardo's defence, but the referee believed that the latter had tackled the ball first and did not award a penalty. Four minutes later, Inter played a quick counter-attack, Dimarco crossed 45° from the left, Barella looked back at the moon and made a strange arc, the ball fell over the goalkeeper's head and into the net, but unfortunately it was slightly offside.
In the 39th minute, Mkhitaryan made a clever pass from the edge of the penalty area, Dimarco inserted a shot and was saved, and then the referee signaled that the latter was offside. Inter had just four shots on goal in the first 45 minutes compared to Cagliari's five, but the Nerazzurri were more efficient and returned to the dressing room with a one-goal advantage.
In the 48th minute, Calhanoglu's corner cross was cleared, Dimarco volleyed sideways, and Skufit's fingertips lifted the crossbar. In the 62nd minute, Inter won a set-piece opportunity in front, Calhanoglu shot through Cagliari's wall, but still could not escape Skufit's ten fingers.
Inter, who repeatedly missed opportunities, were still punished. In the 64th minute, Lu Wenbo's header was ferried, Shomurodov followed up with the blast, Sommer could not do anything, Cagliari equalized, 1-1! Inzaghi Jr. made a decisive substitution adjustment, and Frattesi withdrew the physically exhausted Mkhitaryan.
The effect of the substitution was nothing short of magical, and in the 75th minute, Frattesi received a cross and hit the arm of the Cagliari defender with a header, and the referee signalled for a penalty. Calhanoglu then hit the ball to give Inter a 2-1 lead.
However, Inter was only happy for a while, in the 82nd minute Bisek header was not far away, Arnautovic's return pass made a big mistake, Lapadula ferried, Viola followed up with the blast into the net, Cagliari equalized again, 2-2!
The 2-2 draw with Cagliari saw Inter go unbeaten in 26 games and still have a 14-point lead, with the next round of the Milan derby being a win that would put an end to the Nerazzurri's title contention. However, Inter also has regrets, Inter Milan has six rounds remaining, and if they win all of them, they will win the championship with 101 points, and they will not have the chance to break the record for the highest points in the five major leagues held by Juventus.