MATCH REPORT | Sassuolo-Cagliari 2-1

In the thirty-first round of Serie A, Sassuolo came from behind to defeat Cagliari 2-1 at the Mapei Stadium, ending a game divided into two distinct sides. The first half was initially deadlocked, with both teams trying to keep their heads above water. However, Cagliari became more dangerous: after a few minutes, Adopo tested Muric, and shortly afterward, Esposito almost took the lead, but was met with decisive opposition from the Neroverdi defense. Sassuolo attempted to respond through Thorstvedt, but his shot was inaccurate.

The game-changing moment came on the half-hour mark: Folorunsho set up Esposito, Idzes intervened with a handball in the box, and after a VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty. Esposito made no mistake from the spot, despite Muric’s guess, and put the Sardinians ahead. Cagliari maintained control towards the end of the half, while Sassuolo struggled to create any real threat. The second half, however, began with a completely different spirit from Grosso’s men. The Neroverdi immediately upped the tempo and equalized in the 50th minute: following a corner, Garcia coordinated himself and unleashed a precise left-footed shot into the bottom corner, making it 1-1. The goal changed the momentum of the match. Cagliari felt the blow, while Sassuolo grew in intensity and confidence. As the minutes passed, the match became more fragmented, but it was the home team who capitalized on the situation. The decisive goal came in the 78th minute: the new arrival Bakola worked well on the left and passed to Pinamonti, who shielded the ball with his back to the goal and shot at the near post, surprising Caprile to make it 2-1.

In injury time, Cagliari had a clear chance to equalize: a mistimed run from Muric gifted the ball to Obert, who incredibly squandered it into an empty net. The scoreline thus ended 2-1: Sassuolo completed their second-half comeback and earned three important points, rising to 42 points, while Cagliari remained stuck on 30.

Sassuolo-Cagliari 2-1
Sassuolo: Muric; Walukiewicz, Romagna (dal 13’ st Coulibaly), Idzes, Garcia; Koné (dal 24’ st Lipani), Thorstvedt; Berardi, Volpato (dal 13’ st Matic), Laurienté (dal 24’ st Bakola); Pinamonti (dal 37’ st Nzola).
All. Grosso. A disp. Turati, Zacchi, Satalino, Muharemovic, Felipe, Doig, Iannoni, Fadera, Vranckx, Moro.
Cagliari: Caprile; Ze Pedro (dal 38’ st Kilicsoy), Mina, Rodriguez; Palestra, Adopo (dal 45’ st Zappa), Gaetano (dal 30’ st Sulemana), Deiola, Obert; Folorunsho (dal 30’ st Borrelli), Esposito (dal 45’ st Mendy). All. Pisacane. A disp. Albarracin, Raterink, Sherri, Ciocci, Mazzitelli, Liteta, Belotti.
Referee: Chiffi.
Goals: 30’ rig. Esposito (C), 50’ Garcia (S), 78’ Pinamonti (S).
Yellow Cards: Pinamonti (S).
Red Cards: —