Cagliari’s impressive four-game unbeaten streak is officially toast, absolutely obliterated by Monza in a stunning 4-0 beatdown at the U-Power Stadium. Gustavo Varela was the absolute hero, bagging two goals himself, while Noel Törnqvist locked down Monza’s first clean sheet of the season in a performance that left Cagliari reeling.
Monza Takes Control Early, Cagliari Can’t Break Through
Monza came into this game with a bit of a chip on their shoulder after a 3-1 loss to Lazio, sitting on just four points, and they were missing Lorenzo Lucchesi due to suspension, with Saba Goglichidze stepping into the back three. They also had a bunch of guys sidelined with injuries: Matteo Pessina, Idrissa Touré, Jan Ziolkowski, Zeballos, and Mayé. Cagliari, on the other hand, had been on fire, winning their last four away games and even snagging a 1-1 draw against Juventus last time out. But they were without Fabio Pisacane, who was suspended, so Giacomo Murelli was running the show from the bench. On top of that, Mattia Felici, Riyad Idrissi, and Yael Trepy were out, leaving M’Bala Nzola and Paul Mendy to lead the line. Early on, Samuele Birindelli bent one just wide for Monza, and Zé Pedro headed off target from a Cagliari corner. Dany Mota forced a good save from Elia Caprile, who got down low to deny a shot heading for the bottom corner. At the other end, Törnqvist showed up big, diving to deny Nzola from a Mendy through ball, then saving another from Mendy. But the dam broke in the 39th minute when Monza hit on the break. Mota slipped a perfect pass through for centre-back Eddy Kouadio, who made no mistake, finishing low from close range to put Monza up 1-0.
Second Half Blitz Sees Varela Dominate
Whatever Ivan Juric told his side at halftime, it worked, because Monza came out swinging in the second half and just ripped Cagliari apart. Within two minutes of the restart, they doubled their lead. Foe Ondoa laid the ball off to Gustavo Varela, and the man absolutely blasted it across Caprile into the bottom-left corner. Boom, 2-0! Cagliari tried to fight back, with Mendy heading wide from a corner, and Törnqvist pulling off an incredible stop, clawing away a header from Yerry Mina that looked destined for the near post. But it was all for naught. Monza struck again in the 66th minute. Varela, not content with scoring, turned provider this time, setting up Jay Robinson, who curled a magnificent shot from the edge of the area right into the bottom-right corner. It was a beauty, and suddenly it was 3-0. Cagliari just couldn’t catch a break. Mendy somehow missed from close range after an Alieu Fadera cross, substitute Andrea Colpani rattled the left post, and Mina nodded another header narrowly wide. Then, just to twist the knife, Varela got his second goal in the 79th minute. Robinson broke clear and hit the right post, and who else but the Uruguayan was there to tap in the rebound? An absolute clinical finish. Törnqvist then sealed the deal on his clean sheet with two late saves, shutting down substitute Kevin Carlos and ensuring Cagliari went home with a fat zero on the scoreboard.
What a statement from Monza. They were relentless, especially in that second half. For Cagliari, this 4-0 hammering, and the end of that away win streak, has gotta sting. They were flying high, but this loss is a huge reality check.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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