Daniel Maldini Brings Joy to Cagliari

Cagliari defeated Lecce thanks to Daniel Maldini’s first goal in a Cagliari jersey in the 29th minute. Lecce pushed for the equalizer, especially down the stretch, but Pisacane’s defense held firm—albeit with some difficulty—securing the three points and lifting the Sardinians to ninth place in the standings.

The first clear scoring chance belongs to the Giallorossi: in the 7th minute, Stulic finds himself alone in front of Caprile and tries to slot the ball in with the inside of his foot, but he sends it incredibly high over the bar. In the 13th minute, Cagliari came close to scoring through Maldini: a feint, a spin, and a run down the left, but his attempt was deflected for a corner by the Lecce defense.

Lecce threatened again in the 22nd minute through Coulibaly, but his first-time shot was deflected for a corner by Caprile. In the 29th minute, however, Cagliari scored to make it 1-0: following a corner kick, Maldini headed the ball past Falcone.

The Rossoblù tried again from distance with Obert, but his shot was saved low by Falcone. Before halftime, Lecce responded in the 42nd minute with Stulic, but Caprile was alert and deflected the ball out for a corner.

The second half began with Mendy hitting the post off an assist from Maldini, just 30 seconds after the kickoff. Immediately afterward, Mendy receives the ball in the box again, but his shot goes wide. Stulic sends a free kick from an excellent position high over the crossbar in the 57th minute. On the other end, Maldini tries again, first shooting wide and then taking a free kick that beats Falcone but hits the post.

The middle portion of the second half offered few highlights, with play stalling mainly in midfield. It was the newly substituted Sugamele, in the 82nd minute, who tried to get on the scoreboard, but Falcone saved the Giallorossi by deflecting the shot for a corner.

In the six minutes of stoppage time, Lecce pushed forward in search of the equalizer. There were a series of scrambles in the Rossoblù penalty area, and the Salentini even appealed for a penalty kick. Even Falcone pushes forward in a last-ditch effort to equalize, but Cagliari holds firm. The match ends 1-0: Cagliari wins, albeit with difficulty.

Article by Daniele Caruso