Cristian Chivu made history on Tuesday night as the first Inter Milan manager ever to win the opening three matches of a single UEFA Champions League campaign without conceding a goal, following a commanding 4–0 victory over Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, inspired by a goal and assist from Francesco Esposito.
It was the first-ever encounter between the two sides, and Union’s only previous experience against Italian opposition offered little preparation for what was to come.
Yet, the Belgian outfit nearly took a shock lead within minutes. Promise David burst through Inter’s defence in the third minute, forcing Yann Sommer into a superb early save before Lautaro Martínez heroically cleared Christian Burgess’s follow-up effort off the line from the ensuing corner.
After weathering that early storm, Inter slowly found their rhythm midway through the first half. Hakan Çalhanoğlu tried his luck from range, but Kjell Scherpen was equal to it with a strong parry.
The breakthrough finally arrived shortly after, when Çalhanoğlu’s corner caused panic in the box and Denzel Dumfries reacted quickest to smash home the opener.
Inter doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time with a beautifully worked goal. Dumfries turned provider, racing forward before linking up with Esposito, whose deft layoff found Martínez.
The Argentine striker made no mistake, curling a precise finish beyond Scherpen to make it 2–0 at the break.
Any faint hopes of a Union comeback were extinguished soon after the restart. A VAR review confirmed Kamiel Van de Perre had handled inside the box, and Çalhanoğlu confidently converted from the spot to extend Inter’s lead.
The Nerazzurri weren’t done yet. With 14 minutes remaining, substitute Ange-Yoan Bonny led a rapid counterattack and squared for Esposito, who capped a brilliant personal performance by slotting home the fourth.
Inter’s emphatic 4–0 triumph not only preserves their perfect Champions League record but also stretches their winning streak to seven in all competitions.
In contrast, Union Saint-Gilloise have managed just one victory from their opening three group-stage fixtures.
