26 Shots, 16 Corners and No Goal: Cagliari Beat Udinese 1-0

Cagliari hold on after Maldini strike

Cagliari defeated Udinese 1-0 at Bluenergy Stadium on Saturday, September 19, with Daniel Maldini scoring the only goal in the 54th minute. The result moved Cagliari to fifth in Serie A with nine points from four games, while Udinese remained 13th with four points from four matches.

Maldini provides the decisive moment

The first half produced no goals, although Udinese’s N. Zaniolo and J. Karlstrom were both booked, in the fourth and 22nd minutes respectively. Udinese also made an early change when K. Davis was replaced by I. Gueye in the 37th minute.

Maldini broke the deadlock nine minutes after half-time with a normal goal. He was substituted by Kevin in the 59th minute, having finished with one shot on target and one key pass. Udinese responded with several changes, including G. Chakvetadze for Zaniolo at half-time, U. Gomez for L. Miller in the 57th minute and A. Zanoli for H. Kamara in the 71st minute. Cagliari also introduced Y. Sugawara for J. Rodriguez in the 59th minute.

Udinese dominate the numbers but find no equaliser

The statistics showed a clear territorial and attacking advantage for the home side, but not on the scoreboard. Udinese had 65% possession, completed 546 of 602 passes and registered 26 total shots. Cagliari had 35% possession, 344 passes and only five shots.

Udinese also created 17 shots inside the box and won 16 corners, compared with three inside-the-box attempts and one corner for Cagliari. The hosts recorded five shots on target, but Cagliari goalkeeper Elia Caprile made six saves to protect the lead. The expected-goals figures also favoured Udinese, 1.92 to 1.12, underlining how the scoreline did not reflect the balance of attacking volume. Cagliari’s defence blocked seven Udinese attempts, while Udinese blocked one.

Mina and Caprile secure the clean sheet

Yerry Mina was the highest-rated player of the match with an 8.0 rating. He played 92 minutes and made two tackles as Cagliari kept Udinese scoreless. Caprile was rated 7.9 after completing the match and making six saves, while Maldini received a 7.6 for his goal contribution.

Cagliari’s win improved a recent sequence of three victories in four matches, with one loss. Udinese, who entered the game with one draw, one win and two defeats in their previous four, suffered another loss despite controlling possession and producing the greater shot total.