Inter Milan maintained their unbeaten streak in the Champions League with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Arsenal at the San Siro. Hakan Calhanoglu’s first-half penalty proved to be the decisive moment, handing the Gunners their first defeat in the revamped tournament.
Inter dominated the early exchanges, with Denzel Dumfries rattling the crossbar within the opening minute. However, Arsenal gradually grew into the game and created several chances of their own. Mikel Arteta’s side felt aggrieved when they were denied a penalty after Yann Sommer collided with Mikel Merino, but their protests fell on deaf ears.
Just before the break, Inter were awarded a spot-kick when Merino was adjudged to have handled Mehdi Taremi’s flick. Calhanoglu stepped up and coolly slotted home, giving the hosts a slender advantage heading into the interval.
After the restart, Arsenal continued to press for an equalizer, but Inter’s defense held firm. Dumfries cleared off the line to deny Gabriel Martinelli, while Sommer produced a stunning save to keep out Kai Havertz’s effort.
Simone Inzaghi introduced Marcus Thuram, Nicolo Barella, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the second half to bolster Inter’s attack. However, Arsenal remained a threat, with Havertz coming close to scoring on several occasions.
In the end, Inter held on for a hard-earned victory that keeps them in contention for a top-eight finish in the Champions League. Arsenal, meanwhile, will be disappointed to have lost their unbeaten record but will take solace in the fact that they played well against a strong opponent.
