Serie A | Atalanta 1-2 Cagliari: Dea surprised by impressive Sardinians

Cagliari continued their remarkable start to the season with a prestigious 2-1 victory away to Atalanta, with Paul Mendy and Daniel Maldini scoring the first Serie A penalty of 2026/27.

These teams went into the season with very different expectations, but were both on six points after three rounds. La Dea scraped wins over Sassuolo and Bologna, only to fumble a 1-0 lead in stoppage-time defeat to Roma. Gianluca Gaetano was sent off after the final whistle for dissent and therefore suspended, with Isak Hien and Kamaldeen Sulemana injured. Late signings Franck Kessie and Jonathan Rowe got their first starts.

The Sardinians’ only loss was 1-0 to Inter, missing Mattia Felici to a torn ACL, M’Bala Nzola, Riyad Idrissi, and of course Yael Trepy after he nearly drowned in a swimming pool last month. Daniel Maldini faced one of his many former clubs and Yerry Mina returned from injury.

Gianluca Scamacca stung Elia Caprile’s gloves early on, but Marco Carnesecchi got down to palm a long-range Alessandro Romano daisy-cutter round the base of the near post.

Cagliari took the lead somewhat against the run of play, as Michel Adopo got down the right and rolled across for Paul Mendy to fire onto the underside of the bar from eight yards, watching it ricochet in. Curiously, Mendy now has three Serie A goals, all of them scored against Atalanta.

Carnesecchi also had to parry a curler from former teammate Daniel Maldini, but the hosts equalised when Giorgio Scalvini took a free kick quickly to send Charles De Ketelaere forward, it fell kindly for Scamacca’s angled drive with slight deflection off Adam Obert.

Mendy had the ball in the net again on 52 minutes, but was marginally offside when running onto the inspired Romano assist.

Sead Kolasinac clumsily flailed an arm over his head on a Romano free kick for a penalty, which Daniel Maldini converted with a stuttering run-up, sending Carnesecchi the wrong way. Curiously, this was the first penalty converted in Serie A this season, and only the second awarded in the opening 34 games.

Ze Pedro accidentally had his hand trodden on by Adopo, so made way for Yukinari Sugawara’s Cagliari debut, and Adam Obert tested Carnesecchi with a powerful effort at the near post.

Samardzic almost scored a stunning solo goal, squirming between four defenders inside the area only to prod inches wide, while Kessie and then the Nikola Krstovic header failed to beat Caprile.

Atalanta poured forward, but were too ineffective in attack, falling to a second consecutive defeat.

Atalanta 1-2 Cagliari

Mendy 19 (C), Scamacca 41 (A), Maldini pen 61 (C)

12-09-2026 19:45

MatchDay 4

Atalanta

Cagliari

Live

Player statistic

1st half

2nd half

Starting lineups

29 Marco Carnesecchi Goalkeeper

42 Giorgio Scalvini Defender

3 Odilon Kossounou Defender

16 Raoul Bellanova Defender

23 Sead Kolasinac Defender 68'

13 Éderson Midfielder

Franck Kessié Midfielder 86'

Jonathan Rowe Midfielder

10 Lazar Samardžić Midfielder 76'

17 Charles De Ketelaere Attacker

9 Gianluca Scamacca Attacker 68'

1 Elia Caprile Goalkeeper

33 Adam Obert Defender

15 Juan Rodríguez Defender

2 Zé Pedro Defender 68'

14 Alessandro Deiola Midfielder

4 Alessandro Romano Midfielder

70 Daniel Maldini Midfielder 79'

6 Harry Winks Midfielder

10 Jacopo Fazzini Midfielder 57'

8 Michel Adopo Midfielder

31 Paul Mendy Attacker 79'

Substitutes

59 Nicola Zalewski Midfielder

99 Eljif Elmas Midfielder

77 Davide Zappacosta Defender

57 Marco Sportiello Goalkeeper

Thomas Kristensen Defender

40 Relja Obric Defender

Thomas Pompei Goalkeeper

90 Nikola Krstovic Attacker 68'

47 Lorenzo Bernasconi Defender 68'

18 Giacomo Raspadori Attacker 76'

8 Mario Pasalic Midfielder 86'

20 Riccardo Ciervo Attacker

23 Boris Radunović Goalkeeper

21 Roberto Gagliardini Midfielder

24 Giuseppe Aurelio Midfielder

26 Yerry Mina Defender

12 Alen Sherri Goalkeeper

79 Yanis Massolin Midfielder

27 Joseph Liteta Midfielder

32 Ivan Sulev Midfielder

30 Demi Akarakiri Midfielder

35 Alessandro Sugamele Attacker

39 Alieu Fadera Midfielder 57'

Yukinari Sugawara Defender 68'

22 Raphael Kofler Midfielder 79'

9 Kevin Carlos Attacker 79'