Match report
Cagliari stun Atalanta with second-half penalty from Maldini
Atalanta suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Cagliari in Serie A's fourth round, a result that leaves Maurizio Sarri's side ninth in the table while the visitors climbed to fourth. The match at New Balance Arena swung twice before half-time and was settled by a spot-kick early in the second period.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Cagliari struck first when P. Mendy converted an assist from Michel Adopo in the 19th minute to put the away side ahead. Atalanta responded before the break, Gianluca Scamacca levelling in the 41st minute with Charles De Ketelaere supplying the assist, leaving the sides level at 1-1 at half-time.
The decisive moment came in the 61st minute when Daniel Maldini scored from the penalty spot to restore Cagliari's lead at 2-1, a scoreline that held to the final whistle. Atalanta dominated territory and chances thereafter but could not find a way past a resolute Cagliari rearguard.
Despite Atalanta's control of the ball and volume of attempts, Cagliari made their opportunities count and held on for a result that extended their unbeaten run against the run of play.
Elia Caprile earned the highest rating on the pitch at 8.2, marshalling Cagliari's defence to preserve the narrow lead after Maldini's penalty.
Atalanta enjoyed 61% of possession and fired 22 shots to Cagliari's five, yet managed only one more shot on target than their opponents.
Cagliari won 2–1 away against Atalanta (half-time 1–1).
Atalanta met Cagliari in the Serie A (Regular Season - 4). Kick-off was Saturday, 12 September 2026, 18:45 UTC at New Balance Arena. Referee: Alberto Ruben Arena. Attendance: 21,977.
Key moments
- 19' Goal: P. Mendy (assist: Michel Adopo) — 0–1 · Watch P. Mendy's goal video (19')
- 41' Goal: Gianluca Scamacca (assist: Charles De Ketelaere) — 1–1 · Watch Gianluca Scamacca's goal video (41')
- 61' Goal (penalty): Daniel Maldini — 1–2 · Watch Daniel Maldini's goal video (61')
Starting line-ups
Atalanta (4-3-3)
Cagliari (4-4-1-1)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave Atalanta 63%, the draw 25%, Cagliari 12%. It finished Atalanta 1–2 Cagliari.
Atalanta's rating gap decides it — Atalanta are clearly the stronger side on our strength rating, and that is most of Atalanta's 63%. The draw at 25% is lifted by a low-scoring environment.
Why Atalanta at 63%?
Atalanta sit 285 points higher on our strength rating — 1962 to 1678. Sides with a 200–300-point rating edge at home won 67.1% of 5,992 such games. The 300 most similar past games finished 69–20–11.
Why only 63%?
Both sides are inside their first six league games — home wins land softer this early in the season, so this trims Atalanta's column. Across 11,058 opening-stretch games since 2010, home sides won 42.7% where the rating map expected 44.9%, with draws up 2.0 — negative in every season since 2018. Serie A home sides under-perform the global norm — and the difference mostly flows to the other outcomes. Serie A homes won 43.3% of 6,112 games vs 44.9% across all 100,077 — outside the noise band, so the tally moves accordingly.
Why the draw at 25%?
With a rating gap this size the draw starts at 19.6%. These teams' recent games average 2.0 goals — a low-scoring environment. Games in that environment drew 28.2% of 18,201. The goals environment adds 2.7 points to the draw. Early-season fixtures add 2.0 points to the draw.
What did we measure but not count?
Atalanta average 7 points more possession, but the rating gap here is 285 points. Our control receipt only exists between near-equals — there it moved results; across a class gap we could not measure a separate style edge, so style scores 0 here. Cagliari have rebuilt the eleven — fewer of last season's regular starters are still starting. Squad turnover reads dramatic but hasn't moved results once the rating is controlled: the busiest windows landed within noise across 5,368 games, rebuilt elevens likewise across 5,446, and even losing the most regular starters showed nothing (5,336). The other measured facts on this page scored nothing either.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the Atalanta vs Cagliari final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this Serie A fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch P. Mendy's goal against Atalanta (19').
- Watch Gianluca Scamacca's goal against Cagliari (41').
- Watch Daniel Maldini's goal against Atalanta (61').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Atalanta 1–2 Cagliari. Explore more on the Atalanta and Cagliari team pages or the Serie A page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of Atalanta vs Cagliari?
Cagliari won 2–1 away against Atalanta (half-time 1–1).
›Who scored in Atalanta vs Cagliari?
P. Mendy (19') for Cagliari; Gianluca Scamacca (41') for Atalanta; Daniel Maldini (61') (penalty) for Cagliari.
›Where can I watch Atalanta vs Cagliari highlights?
Goal highlights and video clips from Atalanta 1–2 Cagliari are on this page — open the videos tab to watch every goal.
›What is the head-to-head record between Atalanta and Cagliari?
Atalanta and Cagliari have met 10 times — 6 wins for Atalanta, 3 wins for Cagliari and 1 draw.