Cagliari secured a third resounding win in a row, sitting remarkably top of the table ahead of Roma vs. Inter, level on points with the Giallorossi and Nerazzurri. Daniel Maldini's goal, once again, sealed a 1-0 victory at Udinese. The Rossoblu have made a memorable start to the season, winning four of their five matches, three of them on the road.
For the first time this season, Fabio Pisacane changes the lineup : Yerry Mina replaces Jacopo Fazzini, with Alessandro Deiola moving to midfield. The first chance falls to Zaniolo (booked in the 4th minute), who receives the ball in the box in the 6th minute and fires a left-footed shot just over. Mendy responds in the 8th minute, firing a right-footed shot from the edge of the box that goes just wide. Romano also tries again from outside the box in the 18th minute, but Okoye makes an easy save.
Maldini, who had earlier led to Karlström's booking, took a risk in the 25th minute with a defensive error: Davis recovered and nutmegged Rodríguez, but his left-footed shot went just wide . Zaniolo also took a risk in the 33rd minute, elbowing Rodríguez while turning (already booked). Manganiello was fine, but he was just shy of a second yellow. Zaniolo himself, in the 35th minute, missed a low cross from Kamara from the left, and behind him, Vojvoda fired over with his left foot.
Udinese were forced to make a substitution before half-time, and not just any player: Davis, who was injured, was replaced in the 37th minute by Gueye . Just seconds after coming on, Gueye was found by a Zaniolo pass, and Mina's clearance in the penalty area proved providential. The half-time break followed a Caprile error on a clearance, with Gueye recovering and the Cagliari goalkeeper redeeming himself with his foot (44'). In the 44th minute of added time, the Rossoblu's defensive lapse caused Ekkelenkamp to shoot over.
Zaniolo, who in addition to returning after a three-match injury layoff, was also at risk of a second yellow card, was not present. Chakvetadze took his place. Udinese started strongly: in the 47th minute, Kabasele headed over from a corner from the right. A minute later, from an identical move, Gueye found the target, but Caprile tipped it over the crossbar. Caprile responded again in the 50th minute, following a right-footed effort from Gueye, who had freed himself well in the box. However, the Cagliari goalkeeper made a providential save to prevent Udinese's goal in the 54th minute, responding to a Kabasele touch in the six-yard box following a corner headed in by Ebosse: he cleared it off the line and kept his team in the game .
After eight minutes of unrelenting pressure from Udinese, Cagliari went on the attack for the first time in the second half, but Mendy's move was halted for offside. He beat Miller, Ebosse and Kabasele failed to notice their teammate's back pass, and Maldini—much quicker than the Udinese defense—outpaced them: he stepped up in front of Okoye, skipped past him, and scored for a resounding 0-1 in the 54th minute . It was his third consecutive Serie A match on target for the son of a famous footballer, who had just been called up to the national team a year after his last appearance: it had never happened before. Shortly after (59'), he came off for Kevin Carlos, while Sugawara replaced Rodríguez; two minutes earlier, the home side had replaced Miller for Unai Gómez.
Runjaić's final two substitutions were, in the 71st minute, Zanoli (who hadn't played in nearly eight months due to a knee injury) and Bayo (with a change of formation) for Kamara and Kabasele. Zanoli himself, in the 74th minute, crossed for Unai Gómez, who couldn't turn it on goal, and Mina made a save from the ground with his foot. Bayo also had a chance in the 79th minute in a melee, with Zé Pedro playing a key role in blocking the substitute's shot .
Deiola made a mistake in the 83rd minute when he dismissed a ball that remained in play. Bayo rounded him and crossed from the byline to Unai Gómez, who was saved by Winks. Added time ended after just three minutes .
