Monza turned a cautious first half into a decisive 4-0 victory over Cagliari, a result that gives Ivan Juric’s side valuable breathing room in the Serie A survival contest and leaves the Sardinians confronting their poorest display of the season.
Key takeaways
- Varela scored twice to take his league return to six goals from six appearances.
- Kouadio opened the scoring shortly before half-time with his first Serie A goal.
- Robinson, 19, added Monza’s third after Cagliari lost possession high up the pitch.
- Cagliari were led from the bench by Giacomo Murelli while suspended coach Fabio Pisacane watched on.
- The Sardinians had previously been beaten only by Inter this season.
Monza grow into the contest
The first of Monday’s two fixtures in the seventh round began with Cagliari enjoying more of the territory. Romano sent a right-footed effort narrowly over the angle of goal in the 16th minute, before Dany Mota tested Elia Caprile at the other end.
Cagliari continued to create openings through Nzola and Mendy, but Monza goalkeeper Törnqvist produced important saves in the 20th and 27th minutes. The visitors had reason to believe they could continue their strong opening to the campaign, even without Pisacane on the touchline.
Instead, the match turned on a mistake by Daniel Maldini, the former Monza player selected behind Mendy and Nzola. After he lost the ball, Monza broke quickly and Dany Mota supplied Kouadio. The 20-year-old defender, a Tuscany-born player of Ivorian heritage, squeezed a scruffy right-footed finish through Caprile’s legs in the 40th minute.
Juric had begun with Varela as the central forward, supported by Dany Mota and Robinson, while Birindelli and Mangas worked the flanks. In midfield, Foe-Ondoa was chosen ahead of former Cagliari man Folorunsho. The selections increasingly made sense as Monza found greater control after the interval.
Varela and Robinson settle a difficult night for Cagliari
Monza doubled their lead two minutes after the restart. Ondoa found Varela, whose firm diagonal right-foot shot beat Caprile for his fifth league goal of the campaign. Caprile then prevented an immediate third, denying Dany Mota and Varela, although the latter was subsequently flagged offside.
Cagliari’s best chance of a response came in the 61st minute, when Mina headed from close range and Törnqvist reacted well to turn the effort away. That save mattered, because five minutes later another turnover in the attacking midfield area gave Monza the opportunity to make the scoreline emphatic.
Varela became provider on that occasion, setting up Robinson for a precise low right-foot finish. Colpani then struck the post in the 71st minute as Monza continued to find space against a disjointed Cagliari side.
The fourth arrived in the 79th minute. Robinson hit the upright, but Varela reacted first to the rebound and drove the ball into the net, completing his brace. It was a performance shaped by Monza’s young players and their growing authority as the evening developed.
For Cagliari, the defeat carries a different weight. Their early-season work had so far produced only one loss, against Inter, but the errors in Monza exposed a side that lost its concentration at decisive moments. Murelli’s bench will have to take those lessons back to Pisacane, with the league season still young but the warning clear.
