Atalanta 1-2 Cagliari: Sardinians hand out Serie A's first Matchday 4 upset
Cagliari came from behind at the Gewiss Stadium, converting the season's first Serie A penalty through Daniel Maldini to beat Atalanta 1-2 despite being outshot 22 to 5, continuing their surprisingly strong start to the campaign.
Shot counts do not win football matches, and Cagliari made that point emphatically at the Gewiss Stadium. Gianluca Scamacca's equaliser was the only reward Atalanta got for a match in which they had 22 attempts to Cagliari's 5, as the visitors held on for a 1-2 win built on a well-taken opener and the season's first converted penalty in Serie A.
Goal timeline
| Minute | Team | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 19' | Cagliari | Paul Mendy |
| 41' | Atalanta | Gianluca Scamacca |
| 61' (pen.) | Cagliari | Daniel Maldini |
Paul Mendy put Cagliari ahead from eight yards after an Adopo cross in the 19th minute, before Scamacca levelled things up just before the break, finishing off a quick free-kick move started by Scalvini. The game turned on the 61st minute, when Kolasinac was penalised for a handball and Daniel Maldini stepped up to convert — the first successful penalty of the 2026-27 Serie A season, in its fourth round.
A one-sided game on the scoreboard, not on the pitch
| Stat | Atalanta | Cagliari |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 62% | 38% |
| Total shots | 22 | 5 |
| Shots on target | 4 | 5 |
| Corners | 3 | 2 |
| Fouls | 9 | 8 |
Cagliari had five shots all match and scored with two of them. Atalanta had 22 and only found the net once — a gap between chances created and chances taken that will worry Ivan Juric's side more than the possession share ever could.
Cagliari's slow-burning start
- Matchday 1: won 1-0 away at Parma
- Matchday 2: lost 0-1 at home to Inter
- Matchday 4: won 1-2 away at Atalanta
Cagliari had no fixture in Matchday 3, but the pattern before this trip to Bergamo was already promising for a side many expected to be fighting relegation again: a shutout win at Parma, a single-goal defeat to an in-form Inter, and now a win over a European regular. Atalanta, by contrast, arrived off the back of two straight wins over Sassuolo and Bologna before losing 1-2 at Roma last time out — this is now back-to-back defeats for a side that started the season with genuine top-four ambitions.
What's next
Guriball's Serie A table had Atalanta 10th on six points from three matches and Cagliari 12th on three points from two going into this round. The result pulls Cagliari level with Atalanta on six points, from one fewer game played, while Atalanta's second straight defeat leaves them to respond when league action resumes after the international break. For a club that spent last season chasing a Champions League place, back-to-back losses to Roma and Cagliari is an uncomfortable start to defend.
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