CAGLIARI, ITALY — Lucas da Cunha broke Cagliari hearts with a stunning 76th-minute strike from outside the box, curling a left-footed effort into the top left corner to hand fifth-placed Como a 2-1 victory at Unipol Domus. The visitors, who had led through Martin Baturina's 14th-minute opener before Sebastiano Esposito's equaliser threatened to deny them, showed the quality that has propelled them to 48 points this season, leaving the hosts to rue a spirited second-half fightback that ultimately fell short.
Como wasted little time announcing their intentions. Just 14 minutes in, Baturina latched onto a chance inside the centre of the box and drove a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner, giving Cagliari goalkeeper no time to react. It was a composed, clinical finish from the Croatian midfielder — exactly the kind of decisive quality that separates a side sitting fifth from one battling in the lower half of the table. The goal set the tone for a first half in which Como, enjoying the majority of possession at 56.9%, looked comfortable dictating the tempo.
Cagliari, however, refused to fold. The hosts grew into the contest as the half wore on, and Michel Adopo tested Jean Butez with a right-footed effort from outside the box in the 18th minute, forcing the Como goalkeeper into a sharp save down to his bottom left corner. The Sardinians carried that energy into the second period, and their persistence was rewarded in the 56th minute. Adam Obert delivered from wide, and Esposito rose brilliantly at the centre of the box to power a header into the top left corner — a goal that sent the home faithful into raptures and appeared to shift the momentum decisively in Cagliari's favour.
The equaliser sparked a frantic, increasingly combustible spell. Marco Palestra was booked in the 65th minute, and Esposito himself collected a yellow card in the 71st — a booking that would prove costly as he was withdrawn just seven minutes later. Cagliari manager rang the changes, sending on Semih Kiliçsoy, Riyad Idrissi, and Yael Trepy in the 78th minute in search of a winner. Como responded in kind, introducing Álvaro Morata, Sergi Roberto, and Diego Carlos as the game entered its most intense phase.
It was Como who struck first in that frantic closing stretch. In the 76th minute, Ignace Van der Brempt found da Cunha in space on the edge of the area, and the midfielder needed no second invitation — his left-footed drive arrowed into the top left corner with unerring precision, leaving the Cagliari goalkeeper rooted to the spot. It was a goal of genuine quality, the kind that wins matches at this level.
The statistics reflected the tight nature of the contest: both sides registered 8 shots apiece, though Cagliari edged shots on target 3 to 2. Como's Jean Butez made 2 saves to preserve the lead, while Cagliari's goalkeeper was not called upon to make a single stop. The disciplinary ledger told its own story — Cagliari collected 3 yellow cards to Como's 1, with Alberto Dossena earning the final booking in the 89th minute for a bad foul as frustration boiled over. The 35 combined fouls — 18 from Como and 17 from Cagliari — underscored just how fiercely contested this encounter became.
Adopo went close in the 86th minute, his right-footed effort from the centre of the box pushed away by Butez in the bottom right corner, but Como held firm through a nervy final ten minutes to secure all three points.
The scoreboard resets; the table does not. Cagliari, still 13th with 30 points and a goal difference of -7, host Pisa on March 15 in a fixture that carries real urgency, while Como travel to face AS Roma on the same date, looking to cement their place in the European conversation.
