MATCH REPORT | Cagliari-Juventus 0-1

A defeat for Cagliari, who lose 0-1 to Juventus at Unipol Domus. A defensive mistake in the 12th minute allowed Vlahovic to score the decisive goal. Despite a second half full of heart, the team couldn’t get back into the match, and the chance to earn points faded away.

THE CHOICES
Nicola confirms the choices made in Bergamo, with Deiola alongside Makoumbou and Adopo in midfield, and Zortea and Felici on the wings. Up front, there is Piccoli, with Zappa, Luperto, Mina, and Augello in defense. All in front of Caprile.

JUVENTUS’ START
In the 12th minute, Vlahovic opens the scoring, taking advantage of a mistake in build-up play between Makoumbou and Mina. He breaks free toward the goal, dribbles past Caprile, and puts the ball in the net. The first few minutes saw Juventus pushing consistently, earning several corner kicks, while Cagliari was more cautious. After going behind, the rossoblù began to press but lacked precision. This led to the 33rd minute, with Caprile saving the situation three times in the first half: twice against Yildiz and once against Conceicao (close-range right-footed shot).

CAGLIARI’S REACTION
In the 37th minute, Zortea takes a shot with his left foot, but Di Gregorio saves it after a strong attacking move from Cagliari, who are trying to shake off the setback. In the 40th minute, Luperto goes for two headers on goal, but both attempts are unsuccessful. The score at halftime is 0-1.

A LOT OF FIGHT BUT FEW EXCITEMENTS
Nicola’s first move on the wings sees Zito replace Felici. Cagliari is aggressive but struggles to break through. As the 60th minute approaches, Coman replaces Deiola in the 4-2-4 formation drawn up by Nicola with an offensive intent. Motta responds by bringing on Douglas Luiz for Koopmeiners and Kolo Muani for Conceicao. In the 65th minute, Adopo heads the ball weakly, and Di Gregorio easily saves. In the 70th minute, Viola and Marin come on for Adopo and Zortea. The game struggles to find rhythm, further disrupted by the substitutions (Rouhi and Thuram replace Cambiaso and Locatelli in the 73rd minute). Luvumbo frequently tries on the left but his crosses fail to find teammates due to the solid defensive coverage by Juventus in front of goal.

EXCHANGE OF BLOWS
A scare in the 78th minute as Vlahovic breaks free in open space, shoots, and once again finds Caprile ready to make the save, though he protests for a push that the referee does not deem worthy of a penalty. In the 82nd minute, the best chance for Cagliari: inside the box, Mina doesn’t shoot but passes to Coman, whose powerful left-footed shot from the edge of the area goes wide.

HOT FINISH
The match remains lively and balanced in the final stretch. Pavoletti comes on in the 85th minute for Makoumbou, while Motta had already brought on Mbangula for the injured and recently-subbed Douglas Luiz.

Zappa shoots in the 88th minute, but the ball goes just wide. Cagliari pushes in the five minutes of added time, but the match ends 0-1.