Serie A: Inter Milan beat Cagliari 3-1 as the Serie A title race will be decided on the FINAL DAY, Lautaro Martinez scores a brace, Watch Inter Milan beat Cagliari HIGHLIGHTS

Ivan Perisic forced Alessio Cragno into an early save with a fierce strike before Samir Handanovic got down to his right to stop Lykogiannis’ goal-bound effort during a lively start.

Inter were denied a 10th-minute opener when Milan Skriniar was adjudged to have bundled home a right-wing free-kick with his arm, but the Nerazzurri hit the front after 25 minutes when Darmian headed Perisic’s fine cross into the top-left corner.

Serie A: Lautaro Martinez scores a brace

Martinez twice went close to doubling Inter’s lead at the end of an entertaining first half, striking the post with a sublime left-footed volley before drawing a close-range stop from Cragno.

The Argentine finally got his goal after 51 minutes, bringing down Nicolo Barella’s long ball before firing home, only for Lykogiannis to halve the arrears two minutes later with a deflected long-range effort.

But Martinez was not done there, producing a brilliant lobbed finish from Roberto Gagliardini’s pass to clinch his brace, putting Milan’s celebrations on ice and deepening the hosts’ relegation fears.

Outstanding Martinez passes 20-goal mark

Martinez’s second-half brace proved decisive as the Argentina ace hit 21 league goals in what has been a superb individual campaign.

He is now just the sixth player in Inter’s history to reach 20 goals in a Serie A season before turning 25, after Giuseppe Meazza, Sandro Mazzola, Antonio Angelillo, Ronaldo, and Mauro Icardi.

Key Opta Facts:

• Inter have earned 39 Serie A points on the road this season, as many as in the previous term, which was their third-best performance in a single campaign (49 points in 2006-07 and 43 in 2019-20).
• Cagliari have ended a Serie A campaign with only three home wins for the second time in their history, after the 1999-2000 season.
• Martínez has scored the most goals in Serie A since the start of March (10).

What’s next?

Inter host Sampdoria in their final game of the season next Sunday, requiring a win – and a Milan defeat at Sassuolo – to retain their title. Cagliari, meanwhile, need a win over relegated Venezia on the same day to have any chance of survival.