Cristian Chivu etched his name into Inter Milan’s history books by becoming the first manager to win the opening three matches of a single UEFA Champions League campaign without conceding a goal. A goal and assist from Francesco Esposito helped the Nerazzurri cruise to a commanding 4–0 victory over Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels.

In their first-ever meeting — and only Union’s second encounter with Italian opposition — the Belgian hosts nearly made a dream start. Promise David broke through the Inter defence in the third minute, but Yann Sommer denied him with a sharp save before Lautaro Martínez cleared Christian Burgess’s follow-up effort off the line from the resulting corner.

Inter took time to settle but grew into the contest midway through the first half. Hakan Çalhanoğlu tested Kjell Scherpen with a powerful strike from distance, before the visitors’ pressure finally told.

The breakthrough came when Çalhanoğlu’s corner caused chaos in the area, allowing Denzel Dumfries to react quickest and fire home. Moments before half-time, Inter doubled their advantage as Dumfries turned provider — bursting forward and finding Esposito, whose neat layoff allowed Martínez to curl in a clinical finish for 2–0.

Any hope of a Union comeback was swiftly extinguished early in the second half. After a VAR review confirmed a handball by Kamiel Van de Perre, Çalhanoğlu calmly converted from the spot to extend Inter’s lead.

The Italian champions weren’t done yet. On 76 minutes, Ange-Yoan Bonny led a swift counterattack and squared for Esposito, who tapped in to complete a dominant display.

Inter’s emphatic win maintains their perfect Champions League record this season — three wins from three without conceding — and extends their overall winning streak to seven matches. Union, meanwhile, have managed just one victory from their opening three games in the competition.