MATCH REPORT | Cagliari-Atalanta 3-2

Cagliari secured a resounding victory, defeating Atalanta 3-2 at Unipol Domus and moving closer to safety with four games remaining. Cagliari got off to a flying start: it took just 16 seconds to break the deadlock. Adopo’s perfect cross from the right was met by Paul Mendy, born in 2007, who headed past Carnesecchi to make it 1-0. The second came immediately in the eighth minute: Deiola forced a superb save from a corner from the right; Mendy burst onto the rebound and headed home, also deflecting off Djimsiti. The young Senegalese striker scored a brace, putting Cagliari ahead 2-0.

Atalanta felt the blow and struggled to respond. On the half-hour mark, the Sardinians almost made it three: Kolasinac cleared off the line after a vicious cross from Adopo. In the 40th minute, Atalanta reopened the game: Scamacca fired a shot, Caprile parried it, and the Italian striker himself scored with a curling right-footer from a tight angle. Deep into injury time, in the 45th minute, Atalanta completed the comeback: a quick free kick, the ball to Bellanova, a tap-in for Scalvini, who fed Scamacca again, who did well to make it 2-2 with his brace. At halftime, the score was level.

In the second half, after Mendy’s injury, Borrelli came on and made an immediate impact: in the 47th minute, Deiola sent Folorunsho through, who beat Kolasinac with a sombrero and fired; the Bosnian defender deflected the ball, but it fell to Borrelli, who was ready to tap it in to make it 3-2. Palladino’s Atalanta tried to respond by bringing on Krstovic and Zalewski, but Cagliari remained compact and threatening on the counterattack. In the 79th minute, the Rossoblu had a huge chance: Belotti, fresh from his substitute’s career, missed a chance to make it 4-2 when he was one-on-one with Carnesecchi. Immediately afterward, in the 80th minute, Pasalic attempted an overhead kick that went over. In the 82nd minute, Atalanta saw a good team move with exchanges between Pasalic, Ederson, and Krstovic, but the Montenegrin found Caprile ready to parry. In injury time (in the 90th minute), Scamacca was once again dangerous with a header from a cross from Samardzic, but Caprile was decisive.

Goals: 1′, 8′ Mendy; 40′, 45′ Scamacca; 47′ Borrelli

SCOREBOARD

Cagliari: Caprile; Ze Pedro, Mina, Rodriguez (dal 73′ Dossena), Obert; Adopo, Gaetano, Deiola (dal 56′ Sulemana I.); Folorunsho, Esposito (dal 56′ Palestra); Mendy (dal 46′ Borrelli, dal 78′ Belotti). All. Pisacane.

Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Djimsiti, Kolasinac (dal 73′ Kossounou); Bellanova (dal 57′ Krstovic), De Roon (dal 73′ Ederson), Pasalic, Zappacosta (dal 56′ Zalewski); De Ketelaere (dal 77′ Samardzic), Raspadori; Scamacca. All. Palladino.

Referee: Sacchi