Sassuolo Shake Off Coughs and Cagliari to Snatch Vital Win in Thriller

Ever had one of those days where you're coughing your lungs out but still manage to nick a win? That's Sassuolo for you, lads. They overturned Sebastiano Esposito's spot-kick to thump Cagliari 2-1 at the Mapei Stadium, with Ulisses Garcia and Andrea Pinamonti playing the heroes. As reported by Susy Campanale at Football Italia, it was a proper scrap between two sides desperate for points.

Dodgy Form and Sick Bays

Both outfits rocked up in a bit of a rut. The Neroverdi are mid-table merchants but had scraped just one point from their last three games, thanks to a whooping cough outbreak that decimated the squad during that gritty 1-1 at Juventus. Daniel Boloca, Fali Cande, and Edoardo Pieragnolo were still sidelined, but Kristian Thorstvedt was back causing bother.

Cagliari, meanwhile, were teetering on the edge, with a measly two points from seven rounds. Alberto Dossena was suspended, and Leonardo Pavoletti, Mattia Felici, plus Riyad Idrissi were nursing knocks. Relegation loomed large – talk about turning up to a gunfight with a water pistol.

Penalty Drama and Near Misses

The first half was a cagey affair, with Thorstvedt flashing a chest-volley just wide – the kind of effort that has you spilling your pint. Esposito had a shot charged down, but then came the drama. He danced through the middle, only for Jay Idzes to clumsily handball while tumbling. VAR had a butcher's, pointed to the spot, and Esposito slammed it low and hard past Arijanet Muric, who got a fingertip but no dice. 1-0 Cagliari on 30 minutes.

Alessandro Deiola tested Muric next, while Armand Laurienté's free-kick forced Elia Caprile into a top-drawer save. Domenico Berardi nearly equalised from a corner routine, but it was blocked. Half-time, and Sassuolo were staring down the barrel.

Garcia and Pinamonti Turn the Screw

Boom – second half, and Sassuolo hit back quick. From a corner, Yerry Mina nodded it out to the edge of the box, where Ulisses Garcia – the January arrival from Olympique Marseille – controlled on his chest and half-volleyed into the bottom corner on 50 minutes. First Serie A goal for the Swiss full-back, and what a beauty. Level pegging.

Juan Rodriguez snuffed out Berardi after a cheeky one-two with Thorstvedt, and Deiola headed over from a Marco Palestra cross. Sub Luca Lipani thought he'd scored off Thorstvedt, but the linesman's flag was straight up – offside.

But Sassuolo weren't done. On 78 minutes, Darryl Bakola flicked on a throw-in, Pinamonti spun with his back to goal, and somehow squeezed a low shot through the tiniest gap into the near post from 12 yards. 2-1, and the Mapei erupted.

Cagliari pushed late, and Muric had a proper howler, fumbling a simple cross. Adam Obert had the open goal from a tight angle but blazed it wide. Phew – Sassuolo held firm for a massive three points, plunging Cagliari deeper into the drop zone mire.

Sassuolo 2-1 Cagliari – Esposito pen 30 (C), Garcia 50 (S), Pinamonti 78 (S). The Neroverdi stay comfy mid-table; Cagliari's woes deepen. Proper end-to-end stuff – grab the highlights if you missed it.