Samuel Eto'o scored another cracking goal to give Inter Milan a 1-0 win at Cagliari yesterday and hit back at the racist chanters who had earlier held up the game.

The victory sent champion Inter level on points at the top with AC Milan, which beat Chievo 3-1 on Saturday, but Lazio can reclaim first place with a win at Bari later.

Cameroon forward Eto'o took his Serie A tally to six goals from seven games this term and like most of his recent efforts, the 39th-minute goal was a marvellous strike.

Wesley Sneijder hooked on and Eto'o twisted and turned before planting a left-foot shot in the corner from the edge of the box.

The absence of the injured Diego Milito meant Eto'o could take center-stage in attack and he looks a different player to the workhorse who toiled during last term's treble triumph.

His strike was the perfect riposte to the Cagliari fans whose racist chants towards him caused the referee to suspend the game after three minutes of play.

A public announcement was made asking fans to stop the chants, which they did for the rest of the match. The match was held up for three minutes.

The Italian soccer federation, which has long struggled with racist fans, gave referees the right to suspend games in case of such chanting after Mario Balotelli was constantly abused in Inter's match at Juventus two seasons ago.

The game had already caused controversy after becoming the first high-profile match to be selected for this term's new 12:30pm kickoff, which is aimed at catching Asian audiences but has angered fans who believe the start is too early.