Inter make it five straight league wins with a ruthless display away from home, blowing Sassuolo away with goals from Bisseck, Thuram, Lautaro, Akanji and Luis Henrique on Matchday 24.
Inter delivered a resounding statement in the Serie A title race, demolishing Sassuolo 5–0 at the Mapei Stadium to extend their winning streak to five matches. The scoreline told the story of Inter’s growing authority: clinical, dominant and increasingly hard to stop.
While it may still be early to speak of a decisive break at the top, the feeling is that Cristian Chivu’s side have shifted into a higher gear. Against Sassuolo, Inter showed patience early on before striking with devastating efficiency, punishing every mistake and killing the contest before the hour mark.
The hosts actually threatened first. Inside the opening minute, Koné came within inches of giving Sassuolo the lead, only for Federico Dimarco to clear off the line with Yann Sommer beaten. That early scare briefly slowed Inter’s rhythm, but once the Nerazzurri found their stride, the gap in quality became obvious.
The breakthrough arrived in the 19th minute from a set piece. Dimarco’s corner found Yann Bisseck, who rose highest and headed home, with Muric far from convincing on the goal line. Inter grew in confidence and soon went close again through Bisseck, before Dimarco rattled the crossbar with a curling effort.
At 28 minutes, the pressure told once more. Dimarco, a constant menace down the left, delivered another perfect ball into the box, where Marcus Thuram timed his run to perfection and finished for 0–2. Sassuolo briefly thought they had pulled one back before halftime through Thorstvedt, but the goal was disallowed for offside in the buildup.
Any remaining doubt vanished early in the second half. At 50 minutes, Lautaro Martínez made it 0–3, finishing clinically to all but end the contest. Just four minutes later, another Dimarco corner led to the fourth goal, with Akanji finding space to score from close range.
The match turned into a formality after Sassuolo were reduced to ten men in the 58th minute, when Matić was shown a red card. Inter controlled possession comfortably, managing both the scoreline and their energy, before adding a fifth late on. In the 89th minute, Luis Henrique capped an excellent individual performance with a well-taken goal to complete the rout.
Inter continue to soar and send a clear message to their closest rivals, while Sassuolo are left with little more than a promising opening spell to cling to after a harsh night at the Mapei.
Match Report: Sassuolo 0–5 Inter
Scorers:
19’ Bisseck (Inter), 28’ Thuram (Inter), 50’ Lautaro Martínez (Inter), 54’ Akanji (Inter), 89’ Luis Henrique (Inter)
Sassuolo (4-3-3):
Muric; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Muharemovic, Doig (Garcia 71’); Thorstvedt, Matić, Koné; Berardi (Coulibaly 60’), Pinamonti (Nzola 71’), Laurienté (Lipani 60’).
Head coach: Fabio Grosso.
Inter (3-5-2):
Sommer; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni (Darmian 64’); Luis Henrique, Sucic, Zielinski (Frattesi 64’), Mkhitaryan (Diouf 71’), Dimarco; Lautaro Martínez (Esposito 76’), Thuram (Bonny 76’).
Head coach: Cristian Chivu.
Referee: Chiffi
Yellow cards: Matić (Sassuolo), Dimarco (Inter)
Red card: Matić (Sassuolo)
