A good first half wasn't enough for Cagliari, who ended the match in the lead with an Esposito penalty: they lost 2-1 to Sassuolo and are now in dangerous danger of being sucked into the relegation zone.
Cagliari lined up with a 3-5-2, with Deiola returning to midfield (his first start in 2026) . And the number 14, on his first play of the match, was immediately fouled by Pinamonti. From the free kick, the ball went in for Adopo, who controlled and shot into the box, but Murić saved. At the other end, in the 5th minute, Thorstvedt sent a cross narrowly wide from Mina. Deiola, who had recovered by then, collected the ball on the edge of the box in the 10th minute following a play by Palestra, who had played it to Adopo, but his right-footed effort was blocked.
Cagliari were in control. In the 15th minute, Palestra again replaced Adopo, with a deflected cross that found Esposito, but the former Romagna player was unable to save his shot . The move continued, with Esposito attempting another overhead kick, but the ball went high. Aside from a Berardi free kick easily saved by Caprile (17', it wasn't even a shot on target, but a cross), Sassuolo never made an appearance in the Rossoblu penalty area, with Pisacane's team controlling the play. And in the 22nd minute, from an Esposito corner, Mina's header was cleared almost into the six-yard box.
In the 26th minute, Folorunsho found Esposito in the middle, a clever move to get away from Idzes, who, to stop him, handled the ball, allowing Murić to save. It was a clear penalty, but Chiffi didn't see it on the spot. VAR called him back—even after a long time—and did justice, because the challenge was obvious. Esposito stepped up to take the penalty himself, but Murić guessed the shot to his right and touched it, but it wasn't enough: 0-1 in the 30th minute . The striker thus doubled his first-leg goal.
