Calhanoglu strikes first, Monza hit back
Six minutes. That is all Inter needed to get their title defence moving, Hakan Calhanoglu letting fly from distance and finding the top corner at San Siro on Saturday night.
Monza did not fold. The newly promoted side kept pushing, carved out chances and levelled in the 29th minute through Gustavo Varela. The teams went in at 1-1, a fair reflection of the first half.
The second half was a different story.
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Three goals in 15 minutes
Piotr Zielinski put the Nerazzurri back in front in the 48th minute. Seven minutes later, Pio Esposito made it three with a backheel finish. Yann Bisseck wrapped it up in the 63rd. Three goals in a quarter of an hour, and the contest was done.
The message for the rest of the league is clear enough. Inter have started the season with depth across the squad and an attack that barely had to get out of second gear to score four. Opta’s predictive models had already put the Milan club top of their Scudetto projections before kick-off.
Monza, to their credit, showed something. They held firm for a half, scored, kept their shape. The problem was what happened when Inter turned the screw, a familiar weakness for teams coming up from below.
A season opener with two sides to it
Serie A 2026-27 got under way on Saturday. In the other 6:30pm match, Udinese and Como played out a 1-1 draw at the BluEnergy Stadium. The rest of the opening round takes place on Sunday, including Torino against AC Milan and Frosinone versus Juventus.
Inter bank three points and a goal difference of plus three before anyone else has kicked a ball.
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