Hakan Çalhanoğlu gave Inter the perfect start at San Siro, but Monza leveled before halftime to make it 1-1 at the break. The second half was a different story entirely. Three goals between the 48th and 63rd minutes, from Piotr Zieliński, Francesco Pio Esposito, and Yann Bisseck, turned a tight opener into a convincing 4-1 victory for Cristian Chivu’s side. Andy Diouf was the architect, picking up two assists from midfield.
Key Moments
- 6′, Hakan Çalhanoğlu put Inter ahead early, converting after a pass from Andy Diouf to give the hosts an instant foothold.
- 29′, Monza equalized through Gustavo Varela, who finished from a Mathis Mout assist to make it 1-1 and silence San Siro temporarily.
- 48′, Piotr Zieliński restored Inter’s lead three minutes into the second half, finishing without a credited assist to put the Nerazzurri back in front.
- 55′, Francesco Pio Esposito made it 3-1 almost immediately, converting a second assist from Diouf to effectively end the contest.
- 63′, Yann Bisseck, the defender, added a fourth from an Esposito pass, completing a dominant second-half display.
Tactical Breakdown
Inter controlled the game from the first whistle, finishing with 71% possession and 709 accurate passes at 89% completion. Chivu’s 3-5-2 pressed high enough to limit Monza to just 291 passes and seven total shots. The Nerazzurri’s xG of 1.16 does not fully reflect the volume they generated once the game opened up, with 10 of their 13 shots coming from inside the box.
The key shift came at halftime. Both Çalhanoğlu and Lautaro Martínez, who had each picked up yellow cards before the break, were withdrawn at the 54-minute mark. Rather than disrupting Inter’s rhythm, the double substitution seemed to free up space. Within 90 seconds of Esposito’s goal, the match was essentially over. Petar Sučić came on for Çalhanoğlu and slotted into the midfield without breaking the team’s structure.
Monza’s problems were systemic. They were caught offside eight times, a sign of a high defensive line that Inter’s forwards repeatedly tested. Their backline, anchored by Andrea Carboni and Eddy Kouadio, struggled to contain Esposito’s movement, while goalkeeper Semuel Pizzignacco could do little after the opening exchanges given the volume coming at him. The visitors finished with a goals-prevented figure of -3.03, reflecting how far their defense fell short of what the xG model expected them to concede.
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Verdict
Inter sit top of Serie A after the opening round with three points and a +3 goal difference. It is one game in a long season, but the second-half performance, three goals in 15 minutes against a side that had been level at the break, gave Chivu’s squad a confident start. Monza, sitting bottom with a -3 goal difference after matchday one, will need to tighten a defense that was carved apart far too easily once Inter found their rhythm.