ROME, Italy (AFP) — Troubled Inter Milan earned only their third league win of the season yesterday as they beat Cagliari 2-1 at the San Siro.

The result left the 2010 Champions League winners still down in 16th position ahead of the rest of the weekend’s games and only three points above the relegation zone.

Thiago Motta scored a controversial opener before Coutinho secured the points although Joaquin scored a late goal for the visitors to give Inter some nervy moments at the death.

The victory was crucial for Caludio Ranieri’s players who have struggled at the bottom of the table all season.

Ranieri felt they need the first goal to come alive.

“We need to raise our tempo because once we got off the mark we had more spark,” he said..

“There are things to look but that’s ok.”

And they weren’t helped before kick-off when playmaker Wesley Sneijder pulled up with a muscle problem, although his replacement in the starting line-up Coutinho grasped the chance with both hands.

For Calgiari, who were being guided by their third coach this season in Davide Ballardini, it continued their recent slump that has seen them now lose their last three and fail to win in six scudetto matches.

The first decent chance of the game came when Cagliari’s Albin Ekdal burst 40 yards from the halfway line, holding off Walter Samuel before firing wide.

Thereafter the game settled into a predictable pattern with Inter dominating possession and pushing forward, although they struggled to break down the stubborn Sardinians.

Their best two chances came a couple of minutes apart halfway through the first period.

Giampaolo Pazzini took aim from 20 yards but his fizzed effort was tipped onto the bar by goalkeeper Michael Agazzi.

And moments later Mauro Zarate lined up a free-kick that he sent curling towards the top corner but again Agazzi got a finger-tip to it and the ball struck the crossbar.

Inter broke the deadlock nine minutes into the second half after Ricardo Alvarez, who had replaced Zarate at the break, swung over a free-kick from the left which Pazzini flicked on for Motta to bundle home.

There was a suspicion of both offside and handball from Motta but the officials let the goal stand and there was a huge sigh of relief in the stands.

“It’s true, our first goal was offside but for once we’re smilling,” said Ranieri in reference to Inter’s feeling they have been harshly treeted with penalties this season.

“It was offside but maybe the linesman didn’t see Pazzini’s touch.”

Brazilian starlet Coutinho came close with a skimming shot that went just wide but then on the hour mark he finished off a swift attacking move with a daisy cutter from 17 yards that crept just inside the near post.

Cagliari looked to have pulled a goal back 20 minutes from time as Davide Biondini played in Larrivey who finished with aplomb but he was ruled offside.

Television replays suggested he was a lot less offside than Motta had been earlier.

Ballardini felt the decisions that went against his side were symptomatic of supposed favouritism towards the big teams.

“At the San Siro the one consistency is that certain clear situations become shrouded in doubt and when there is doubt the refereeing decisions favour the strongest,” he said.

“This has already happened in the past when the visitors have been penalised.”

Larrivey was well onside a minute from time, though, when he turned home Radja Nainggolan’s shot from the left.