Inter Milan responded to their disappointing UEFA Champions League exit with a 2-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A, remaining unbeaten in 14 consecutive league meetings against Il Grifone.

The match started fast, with Lorenzo Colombo blasting over the crossbar and Nicolo Barella seeing an early effort blocked. Inter pressed through Federico Dimarco’s corners, but Justin Bijlow denied Stefan de Vrij’s header, and Manuel Akanji couldn’t find the target. Bijlow then saved a close-range effort from Ange-Yoan Bonny after Ruslan Malinovskyi gave the ball away cheaply.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan tried his luck with a long-range strike that deflected off Johan Vasquez and rattled the crossbar, but it was Dimarco who broke the deadlock on the half-hour, volleying Mkhitaryan’s looping pass into the far corner from a tight angle. Barella had a header over shortly after, while Mikael Egill Ellertsson’s volley tested Inter’s defense as the hosts held a 1-0 lead at halftime.

After the break, both sides had chances, with Vitinha’s long-range effort requiring a deflection off Akanji to stay out. Ellertsson then headed wide before Alex Amorim handled in the box, allowing Hakan Calhanoglu to convert the resulting penalty and double Inter’s lead. Yann Sommer later prevented an own goal by Akanji, ensuring a comfortable finish for the Nerazzurri.

The win marked Inter’s eighth consecutive Serie A victory, putting them 13 points clear of second-placed AC Milan ahead of their match against Cremonese. Genoa suffered their first defeat in three games, remaining just three points above the relegation zone.