Two goals before the break steered Inter Milan to a routine 2-0 victory on the road against Cremonese, as Cristian Chivu’s side maintained their push for the Scudetto by claiming what was described as an 11th win in 10 Serie A games.
Match Report
With Inter flying high at the summit of the standings and Cremonese still hunting for their first success since early December, the early pattern of the match followed expectations, as the Nerazzurri asserted control from the outset. Pio Esposito and Petar Sučić both threatened early on, and the breakthrough arrived after 15 minutes. Federico Dimarco delivered an outswinging corner, which leading scorer Lautaro Martínez met with a fine header to net his 13th league goal of the season.
Cremonese nearly found an immediate reply from a set piece of their own, working the ball neatly around the area before a delivery into the box, but Federico Ceccherini’s attempt drifted just wide of the post. However, as the Grigiorossi began to gain a foothold, their momentum was halted midway through the half when Piotr Zieliński fired a powerful strike from 25 yards into the top-right corner.
Shortly after the second half got underway, play was interrupted when Emil Audero was affected by a flare thrown by Inter supporters behind his goal, prompting the referee to stop the match. Once action resumed, the hosts tried to reduce the deficit and came close when Alessio Zerbin broke down the right, though his effort was straight at Sommer.
That proved to be as good as it got for Cremonese going forward. A series of substitutions disrupted the rhythm, and the match settled into a stop-start pattern with few clear chances. The main moment of note came in the final 10 minutes, when Zerbin rattled the woodwork with a low strike from the edge of the area. Inter, though, remained largely untroubled and comfortably managed the closing stages.
The result extends Inter’s advantage at the top of the Serie A table to eight points over AC Milan, who face Bologna on Tuesday. Cremonese, meanwhile, remain without a win in nine league matches (D3, L6) and are only six points clear of the relegation zone.
