Achraf Hakimi, Inter 2021Getty

Hakimi grabs assist as Inter Milan secure victory over Kwadwo Asamoah’s Cagliari

Achraf Hakimi provided an assist while Kwadwo Asamoah featured as Inter Milan secured a 1-0 victory over Cagliari to extend their lead at the top of the Serie A table on Sunday.

Hakimi was handed his 29th league appearance as a second-half substitute and impressed, helping his side to continue their fine run of form at Giuseppe Meazza.

Ghana international Asamoah also came off the bench to make his fourth appearance of the season for the Islanders but his contribution was not enough to help them avoid defeat.

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Inter dominated the opening 30 minutes and made several efforts to open the scoring with their best chance in the first half falling the way of Matteo Darmian.

The 31-year-old forward fired a long-range shot in the 40th minute but his strike was parried by goalkeeper Matteo Darmian.

In an effort to break the deadlock, Inter manager Antonio Conte made a number of substitutions, including introducing Hakimi in the 70th minute for Ashley Young.

Cagliari on their part brought on Asamoah in the 72nd minute for Alfred Duncan among other substitutions.

The changes had an almost immediate impact as Hakimi sent a square pass to Darmian seven minutes after he was brought on and the attacker swiftly tucked home his effort.

The goal was all the Black and Blues needed to secure all three points and extend their lead at the top of the Serie A table to 11 points.

Besides his assist, Hakimi had 13 touches on the ball, made one clearance and had a 70 percent successful pass rate as part of his contribution in the encounter.

Asamoah, meanwhile, had 21 touches on the ball, completed one dribble, made one clearance and had an 87 percent successful pass rate.

Hakimi teamed up with the Black and Blues last summer from Real Madrid after a loan spell at Borussia Dortmund, where he impressed and has now featured in more than 28 games across all competitions.

The wingback will hope to continue his impressive performances when Inter take on Napoli in their next league game on April 18.

Asamoah will be expected to make a more impactful contribution for Cagliari and help them return to winning ways when they slug it out against Parma on April 17.

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