Inter begin Serie A title defence with four-goal win over Monza

Inter opened their Serie A campaign with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Monza as the Italian champions made a strong start to their bid to retain the title.

Hakan Calhanoglu, Piotr Zielinski, Pio Esposito and Yann Bisseck were all on target for Inter, while Gustavo Varela scored Monza’s only goal.

The result gave Inter a convincing opening win in their journey to defend the Serie A title at the beginning of the new season.

Inter took the lead after only six minutes when Calhanoglu met a cross from Andy Diouf and fired a powerful shot into the net. The early goal gave the visitors control of the match and put Monza on the back foot.

Monza responded in the 29th minute through Varela. He found a way past the Inter defence before finishing into the net to bring the score level and give the home side renewed momentum.

The teams went into the interval tied, but Inter restored their advantage at the start of the second half. Zielinski took advantage of an error by the Monza goalkeeper and placed the ball into the goal to make it 2-1.

Zielinski’s strike also extended a notable personal scoring record. The Poland international has now scored in 12 consecutive seasons, matching the achievement of Juan Cuadrado, Josip Ilicic, Nils Liedholm and Matias Vecino. Only Clarence Seedorf, who scored in 13 successive seasons, has done so more often among the players listed.

Inter continued to press for a third goal and were rewarded in the 55th minute. Esposito produced a distinctive finish with his heel after another cross from Diouf, increasing the champions’ advantage to two goals.

Bisseck completed the scoring eight minutes later. In the 63rd minute, he struck a fierce effort that flew into the Monza net to seal Inter’s 4-1 victory.

The four-goal performance ensured there was no late revival from Monza and allowed Inter to begin their title defence with three points and a significant statement of intent. The champions’ goals came from four different players, while Diouf played a key role in creating two of them with his deliveries from the left.

For Monza, Varela’s equaliser briefly cancelled out Inter’s early opener, but the side could not contain their opponents after the break. Zielinski’s opportunistic finish put Inter back in front before Esposito and Bisseck added further goals to turn the match into a comfortable victory.