Cagliari claimed a 1-2 Serie A win at Atalanta, scoring twice on the road and answering the hosts' equalizer with a penalty. Atalanta had more of the ball and far more shots at New Balance Arena, but the visitors were sharper in front of goal and left with the points.

Match Summary

The away side struck first and forced Atalanta to play catch-up. P. Mendy had Cagliari in front after 19 minutes, with M. Adopo supplying the assist. Atalanta needed a spark before half-time and found one through G. Scamacca, who leveled in the 41st minute after C. De Ketelaere set him up. The sides went in even, the hosts having recovered from an early blow.

After the restart the contest tilted again. D. Maldini put Cagliari back ahead from the penalty spot in the 61st minute, and that second away goal stood as the winner. Atalanta continued to press and recycle possession but could not produce another finish. Cagliari protected the 1-2 result through the closing stages.

Key Moments

Going behind so early set Atalanta a problem they never fully solved. Even after they drew level late in the first half, they were still chasing rather than dictating, and the next swing belonged to Cagliari.

The penalty after the hour settled the result. It restored the visitors' lead just as Atalanta were leaning on their territorial edge, and there was no late reply. From there the story was volume against accuracy, a home side with a huge share of attempts and an away side that needed almost every shot to count.

Match Statistics

Atalanta held 61 percent of possession and outshot Cagliari 22 to 5, yet managed only four shots on target. Cagliari put all five of their attempts on target, which explains how they won despite seeing so little of the ball. Expected goals were closer than the shot count, 1.22 for Atalanta against 1.1 for Cagliari. The hosts also took three corners to two. Neither team received a yellow or red card.

What the Result Means

Atalanta sit eighth in Serie A with six points from three matches and a goal difference of plus one. Cagliari are ninth, also on six points from three games with the same goal difference. Each side has two wins and one loss in their last three, and they remain level on points after this meeting.

See also

• Atalanta vs Cagliari live score
• AltBets live scores
• AltBets tips
• Match recaps