Maldini’s 29th-minute goal lifts Cagliari above Lecce

Cagliari beat Lecce 1-0 at Unipol Domus on Monday, moving to 11th in Serie A with 3 points from 2 games. Lecce remain 12th on the same total, while both clubs trail leaders AS Roma by 6 points.

How it happened

Daniel Maldini supplied the decisive moment in the 29th minute, finishing a move created by Jacopo Fazzini’s assist. Cagliari carried that advantage into half-time and protected it through the second half, with J. L. Sacchi overseeing a match that produced 22 total shots and four yellow cards, three of them for Lecce.

The numbers

Cagliari created the clearer chances despite holding only 42% possession. They registered 20 shots to Lecce’s 10, including 9 on goal compared with 3, while Lecce’s W. Falcone made 8 saves. Lecce completed 425 accurate passes to Cagliari’s 304, but that control did not translate into an equaliser.

Who decided it

Maldini’s 29th-minute goal earned him an 8.2 rating before he was replaced after 66 minutes. Fazzini was also central to Cagliari’s attacking output: the 61-minute appearance included 1 assist, 3 key passes and 2 tackles. Falcone still posted the highest match rating at 8.6 after keeping Lecce in the contest with 8 saves.

Why it matters

The result leaves Cagliari 11th and Lecce 12th, both with records of 1 win, 0 draws and 1 loss after 2 matches. Cagliari’s recent form is now Win, Loss, while Lecce’s is also Win, Loss; Roma’s perfect 9 points keeps both teams 6 points from the summit.