Cagliari secured a crucial victory in their battle against relegation with a hard-fought win over Monza, who struggled even before the dismissal of Danilo D’Ambrosio. This match was pivotal for both teams, sitting at the bottom of the Serie A table.
The game marked Monza’s first under new coach Salvatore Bocchetti, who was hoping to turn around the team’s fortunes after a disappointing 2-1 loss to Parma. Monza entered the match without key players due to suspension and injury, including Pablo Mari, Georgios Kyriakopoulos, Matteo Pessina, Roberto Gagliardini, and Alessio Cragno. Cagliari also faced challenges, missing Zito Luvumbo and Jakub Jankto as they sought to end a four-match losing streak.
The match began with an intense pace, and within the first two minutes, Cagliari nearly took the lead when Mattia Felici’s acrobatic volley struck the crossbar. However, it was Monza who opened the scoring shortly after. Patrick Ciurria’s shot was deflected by Antoine Makoumbou’s fingertips, leading to a penalty after a VAR review. Gianluca Caprari converted the spot-kick, putting Monza ahead.
Cagliari responded with vigor, as Stefano Turati saved a curling effort from Nicolas Viola before Nadir Zortea leveled the score with a powerful strike from outside the box. The momentum shifted when Michel Adopo won back possession in midfield, leading to a swift counter-attack finished by Roberto Piccoli’s fierce shot into the top corner.
Monza’s situation worsened when Danilo D’Ambrosio received a red card for a reckless challenge on Yerry Mina. The VAR intervention confirmed that D’Ambrosio’s actions warranted immediate dismissal. Despite being down to ten men, Monza nearly equalized late in the game when Samuele Birindelli’s cross turned into a dangerous shot that required a fingertip save from Cagliari’s goalkeeper.
As the match drew to a close, Gianluca Lapadula came close to extending Cagliari’s lead but hit the post with his angled drive. Ultimately, Cagliari held on for a vital victory that could prove decisive in their fight against relegation while leaving Monza searching for answers as they remain rooted at the bottom of the table.
Goals: Caprari pen 6 (M), Zortea 22 (C), Piccoli 56 (C)
Monza (3-4-2-1): Turati; Caldirola, Izzo, D’Ambrosio; Birindelli, Bondo (76′ Akpa-Akpro), Sensi ( 55′ Bianco), Pereira ( 76′ Maldini); Ciurria, Caprari; Dany Mota ( 55′ Djuric)
Cagliari (4-4-1-1): Scuffet; Zappa, Mina (67′ Palomino), Luperto, Obert; Zortea, Makoumbou (85′ Pavoletti), Adopo, Felici (75′ Augello); Viola (85′ Marin), Piccoli (75′ Lapadula)
