Sampdoria saw its five-match unbeaten run ended in a 2-0 loss at Cagliari in Serie A on Saturday after it was forced to play more than half the match with 10 men.
João Pedro converted a penalty and Nahitan Nández also scored in the second half after Sampdoria defender Tommaso Augello was sent off five minutes from the interval.
Click to Gallery
Sampdoria saw its five-match unbeaten run ended in a 2-0 loss at Cagliari in Serie A on Saturday after it was forced to play more than half the match with 10 men.
Samp arrived in Sardinia on a run of good form, having won four of its past five matches, but it hadn’t won at Cagliari in 13 years and was given an early scare when João Pedro hit the crossbar.
Cagliari doubled its lead in the 69th minute when Nández ran on to a through ball and fired past the onrushing Audero.
Sampdoria's Albin Ekdal, left, heads the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and Sampdoria, at the Sardegna Arena Stadium in Cagliari, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. (Alessandro ToccoLaPresse via AP)
Sampdoria's Fabio Quagliarella fires a shot during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and Sampdoria, at the Sardegna Arena Stadium in Cagliari, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. (Alessandro ToccoLaPresse via AP)
Samp would have gone third with a win but it remained in mid table, six points behind early leader AC Milan. Benevento was playing Spezia later in a matchup between two sides promoted from Serie B last season. Also, Fiorentina was traveling to Parma with coach Giuseppe Iachini under pressure.
Cagliari's Joao Pedro scores during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and Sampdoria, at the Sardegna Arena Stadium in Cagliari, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. (Alessandro ToccoLaPresse via AP)
Samp arrived in Sardinia on a run of good form, having won four of its past five matches, but it hadn’t won at Cagliari in 13 years and was given an early scare when João Pedro hit the crossbar.
Its hopes of ending its negative streak on the Italian island diminished shortly before halftime when Augello brought down Nández as the Cagliari player was going clear from midfield. The referee initially showed Augello a yellow card but changed it to red on video review.
Matters went from bad to worse for Samp three minutes into the second half when Lorenzo Tonelli fouled João Pedro, who struck the resulting penalty under the diving Emil Audero for his fifth goal in as many matches.
Cagliari's Nahitan Nandez celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and Sampdoria, at the Sardegna Arena Stadium in Cagliari, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. (Alessandro ToccoLaPresse via AP)
Cagliari doubled its lead in the 69th minute when Nández ran on to a through ball and fired past the onrushing Audero.
Riccardo Sottil also had a goal disallowed for offside for Cagliari.
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Cagliari's Nahitan Nandez, left, scores his side's second goal during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and Sampdoria, at the Sardegna Arena Stadium in Cagliari, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. (Alessandro ToccoLaPresse via AP)
Sampdoria's Albin Ekdal, left, heads the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and Sampdoria, at the Sardegna Arena Stadium in Cagliari, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. (Alessandro ToccoLaPresse via AP)
Sampdoria's Fabio Quagliarella fires a shot during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and Sampdoria, at the Sardegna Arena Stadium in Cagliari, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. (Alessandro ToccoLaPresse via AP)