Daniel Maldini puts the home side ahead against Juventus

Daniel Maldini gave the home side the lead after 20 minutes on Sunday evening, in the sixth round of the Italian league. They were 1-0 up against Juventus at half-time, despite the visitors making a quick start and applying early pressure before Cagliari settled into the contest.

The teams came into the match with contrasting records from the opening five rounds: Cagliari had won four and lost one, while Juventus had three wins, one draw and one defeat. Juventus had beaten Atalanta 2-0 before the international break and were looking to continue their climb towards the leading teams.

Juventus kept possession in the first half but struggled to create a genuine threat. Weston McKennie was shown a yellow card in the 17th minute, and the home side carried their advantage into the interval.

At the start of the second half, Luciano Spalletti brought on Edon Zhegrova and Kerim Alajbegovic for Francisco Conceição and McKennie. Cagliari also made a change, with Alessandro Deiola replacing Juan Rodriguez. Late in the match, the referee did not award Juventus a penalty after Zhegrova went down in the box, judging that the contact did not warrant a foul.