Champions Inter Milan thrash Monza to get title defence up and running

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter/Iw7eKK25/"]Inter[/a] were setting out to win successive Scudettos for the first time since José Mourinho’s treble winners in 2009/10, and they made the perfect start here, racing into the lead inside six minutes.[/p][p][b]Stepping into the right wing-back role vacated by the departed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dumfries-denzel/QR0j1ejk/"]Denzel Dumfries[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diouf-andy/IiBJCs82/"]Andy Diouf[/a] laid the ball off to the edge of the area where [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/calhanoglu-hakan/IRQeP5FJ/"]Hakan Calhanoglu[/a] arrived to unleash a rocket that beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/monza/4YSMlwj7/"]Monza[/a] goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pizzignacco-semuel/GbSDQoj8/"]Semuel Pizzignacco[/a] all ends up, marking his fourth goal in his last four H2H appearances.[/b][/p][image alt="Hakan Calhanoglu celebrates his opener" id="cff0f5b9-bad9-4ef3-baed-17719455bdad" credit-line="REUTERS / Vincenzo Livieri" guid="ce834ad3-3481-4a15-9983-41582f460811" original-width="2360" original-height="1586" /][p]It’s the eighth successive home league match in which Inter have scored first, but the Biancorossi’s response to falling behind was spirited, and just before the half-hour their efforts were rewarded with a high-quality equaliser.[/p][p][b]With [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/akanji-manuel/UJm2XpLH/"]Manuel Akanji[/a] touch-tight at his back, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/varela-gustavo/ltufISa9/"]Gustavo Varela[/a] showed tremendous strength to roll the Inter defender and arrow a strike into the bottom corner for his third goal in two matches since signing for Monza.[/b][/p][p]Inter were insipid in attack before the break, so were grateful to receive a gift from Pizzignacco within three minutes of the restart to restore the lead.[/p][p][b]The Monza goalkeeper dived low to cut out a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dimarco-federico/W6lypZn3/"]Federico Dimarco[/a] cross, but his tame parry landed at the feet of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zielinski-piotr/dlFNZSvb/"]Piotr Zielinski[/a], who intelligently bounced his shot over the despairing stopper and into the unguarded net.[/b][/p][embed guid="750c9b9d-a4ad-4b02-963f-692287943bdf" url="https://x.com/SerieA_EN/status/2091219596535623702" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]The Nerazzurri looked far more comfortable from there, and soon doubled their lead when Diouf’s cutback was turned home by a glorious flick from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/esposito-francesco/dKXxEOKj/"]Francesco Pio Esposito[/a].[/b][/p][p][b]Monza’s dogged first-half resistance was well and truly broken by the time Esposito held the ball up for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bisseck-yann-aurel/b3kUQZ4h/"]Yann Bisseck[/a], who strode onto the ball and rifled home on his left foot for his first home league goal since May 2025.[/b][/p][image alt="Match stats" id="37c07702-5b3c-4cd8-8467-2b5560691263" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="7a4beea6-6be0-4e9d-b7d8-26e7c3a129e7" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Akanji then headed against the bar as the visitors threatened to completely collapse, but Inter ultimately settled for four as Cristian Chivu handed debuts to new signings [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/stones-john/SlLxn4xl/"]John Stones[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/stankovic-aleksandar/xlODS9Ds/"]Aleksandar Stankovic[/a] – son of club legend Dejan.[/p][p]In the end, it was a sobering night for Monza, whose top-flight return began as their last one ended with defeat at the San Siro.[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/esposito-francesco/dKXxEOKj/"]Francesco Pio Esposito[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter/Iw7eKK25/"]Inter Milan[/a])[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/inter-Iw7eKK25/monza-4YSMlwj7/?mid=8Mn7Y8Zh"]Check out the match stats here[/a][/b].[/p]