Match report

Sassuolo Defeats Cagliari 2-1 in Serie A Thriller

Sassuolo
Sassuolo
2–1
FT
Cagliari
Cagliari
Apr 4, 2026

Sassuolo emerged victorious against Cagliari with a 2-1 win in a closely contested Serie A encounter. Despite falling behind to a penalty by S. Esposito early in the game, Sassuolo mounted a strong comeback with goals from U. Garcia and A. Pinamonti to secure the points.

Key Facts

  • • S. Esposito (Cagliari) scored a penalty in the 30th minute.
  • • U. Garcia (Sassuolo) equalized with a normal goal in the 50th minute.
  • • A. Pinamonti (Sassuolo) secured the win with a goal in the 78th minute.
  • • L. Lipani (Sassuolo) had a goal disallowed for offside in the 70th minute.
  • • A. Pinamonti (Sassuolo) received a yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct in the 79th minute.

Lineups

Sassuolo

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Starting XI

  • 49 Arijanet Murić (G)
  • 6 Sebastian Walukiewicz (D)
  • 19 Filippo Romagna (D)
  • 21 Jay Idzes (D)
  • 23 Ulisses Garcia (D)
  • 90 Ismael Koné (M)
  • 42 Kristian Thorstvedt (M)
  • 10 Domenico Berardi (M)
  • 7 Cristian Volpato (M)
  • 45 Armand Laurienté (M)
  • 99 Andrea Pinamonti (F)

Substitutes

  • 80 Tarik Muharemović
  • 20 Alieu Fadera
  • 13 Stefano Turati
  • 8 M'Bala Nzola
  • 66 Pedro Felipe
  • 40 Aster Vranckx
  • 24 Luca Moro
  • 44 Edoardo Iannoni
  • 3 Josh Doig
  • 50 Darryl Bakola
  • 16 Gioele Zacchi
  • 12 Giacomo Satalino
  • 35 Luca Lipani
  • 25 Woyo Coulibaly
  • 18 Nemanja Matić

Cagliari

Formation: 3-5-2

Starting XI

  • 1 Elia Caprile (G)
  • 32 Zé Pedro (D)
  • 26 Yerry Mina (D)
  • 15 Juan Rodríguez (D)
  • 2 Marco Palestra (M)
  • 8 Michel Adopo (M)
  • 10 Gianluca Gaetano (M)
  • 14 Alessandro Deiola (M)
  • 33 Adam Obert (M)
  • 94 Sebastiano Esposito (F)
  • 90 Michael Folorunsho (F)

Substitutes

  • 20 Agustín Albarracín
  • 25 Ibrahim Sulemana
  • 18 Othniël Raterink
  • 29 Gennaro Borrelli
  • 12 Alen Sherri
  • 19 Andrea Belotti
  • 28 Gabriele Zappa
  • 31 Paul Mendy
  • 24 Giuseppe Ciocci
  • 4 Luca Mazzitelli
  • 27 Joseph Liteta
  • 9 Semih Kılıçsoy

Timeline

  1. Cagliari
    30' Cagliari Goal · Penalty
    S. Esposito
  2. Sassuolo
    50' Sassuolo Goal · Normal Goal
    U. Garcia
  3. Sassuolo
    58' Sassuolo subst · Substitution 1
    Off: C. Volpato · On: N. Matic
  4. Sassuolo
    58' Sassuolo subst · Substitution 2
    Off: F. Romagna · On: W. Coulibaly
  5. Sassuolo
    69' Sassuolo subst · Substitution 3
    Off: Ismael Koné · On: L. Lipani
  6. Sassuolo
    69' Sassuolo subst · Substitution 4
    Off: A. Lauriente · On: Darryl Bakola
  7. Sassuolo
    70' Sassuolo Var · Goal Disallowed - offside
    L. Lipani
  8. Cagliari
    75' Cagliari subst · Substitution 1
    Off: M. Folorunsho · On: Gennaro Borrelli
  9. Cagliari
    75' Cagliari subst · Substitution 2
    Off: G. Gaetano · On: I. Sulemana
  10. Sassuolo
    78' Sassuolo Goal · Normal Goal
    A. Pinamonti · Assist: Darryl Bakola
  11. Sassuolo
    79' Sassuolo Card · Yellow Card
    A. Pinamonti

    Unsportsmanlike conduct

  12. Sassuolo
    82' Sassuolo subst · Substitution 5
    Off: A. Pinamonti · On: M. Nzola
  13. Cagliari
    83' Cagliari subst · Substitution 3
    Off: J. Pedro · On: S. Kilicsoy
  14. Cagliari
    89' Cagliari subst · Substitution 4
    Off: M. Adopo · On: Gabriele Zappa
  15. Cagliari
    89' Cagliari subst · Substitution 5
    Off: S. Esposito · On: P. Mendy

Match Stats

Stat Sassuolo Cagliari
Fouls 14 10
Pass Accuracy 84% 83%
Offsides 2 1
Red Cards — —
Total Shots 9 11
Corners 2 2
Total Passes 423 431
Yellow Cards 1 0
Blocked Shots 2 3
Shots on Target 2 3
xG 0.46 1.63
Shots off Target 5 5
Possession 50% 50%
Goals Prevented 0 0
Accurate Passes 356 358
Shots Inside Box 5 8
Saves 2 0
Shots Outside Box 4 3

Key Match Notes

  • ▸ Sassuolo's equalizer by U. Garcia in the 50th minute marked a shift in momentum, allowing them to regain control of the game after conceding early.
  • ▸ A. Pinamonti's decisive goal in the 78th minute sealed Sassuolo's victory and left Cagliari in a defensive struggle.