Serie A: Champions Inter Milan beat Lecce 2-0 in home opener

MILAN: Champions Inter Milan beat Lecce 2-0 at home in Serie A on Saturday as goals from Matteo Darmian and Hakan Calhanoglu secured Simone Inzaghi’s side its first win of the season.

Inter, who was held to a 2-2 draw at Genoa last weekend, was well in control of the match and provisionally moved top of the table with four points.

Darmian gave Inter the lead inside five minutes after the ball bounced up in front of the defender, who headed it into the net.

Calhanoglu doubled the advantage from the penalty spot in the 69th minute after Inter was awarded a spot-kick for Kialonda Gaspar’s foul on Marcus Thuram.

Calhanoglu converted his 17th penalty out of 17 in the Italian top flight.

Inter was without captain Lautaro Martinez, last season’s top scorer, who was sidelined with a muscle problem.

Lecce, which kicked off their third consecutive season in Serie A with a 4-0 home defeat by Atalanta last week, play Cagliari on August 31.

Rivals AC Milan was stunned in a 2-1 loss at promoted Parma earlier on Saturday, and 10-man Udinese beat Lazio 2-1 before Genoa earned a 1-0 win at Monza to move up to second in the standings. Agencies

Also Read: Serie A: Inter Milan start title defense with draw 2-2 against Genoa

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