Serie A Standing BEFORE the game:
Lecce, 20th position with 1 point and a negative goal difference of -5
Cagliari, 8th position with 4 points and a positive goal difference of +1

Lecce faced a loss at home. Cagliari triumphed in the Serie A Week 4 match on Friday, September 19, 2025, at the Via del Mare Stadium in Lecce. Cagliari achieved their second win in a row, following their success against Parma. They also defeated Lecce, temporarily moving up to third place in the standings with seven points, tied with Cremonese and Udinese, who are set to play this weekend. In contrast, Lecce experienced their third consecutive defeat, once again delaying their first positive result at home and remaining at the bottom of the table with just one point.

A standout moment in the match was Andrea Belotti netting his first goal for his new club, Cagliari. Additionally, Belotti successfully converted a penalty. He won over his new supporters and established himself as a key player.

Bottom line, Lecce failed to secure their first three points of the season to escape the group of teams with just one point at the bottom of the standings. Eusebio Di Francesco's squad is coming off two straight losses, one against Atalanta away and another at home to AC Milan, after a 0-0 draw on Matchday 1 at the Stadio Ferraris against Genoa.

Lecce gained the advantage in the 5th minute. Tiago Gabriel netted a header from close range right to the center. The assist came from Riccardo Sottil. Sottil maneuvered around Esposito, seized the ball, and delivered a cross into the center of the box for number 44, who, unmarked, directed the ball into the net, outsmarting Caprile.



Photo via x.com/OfficialUSLecce

 

Cagliari leveled the score in the 33rd minute! Andrea Belotti found the net with a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner. The assist came from Marco Palestra. Folorunsho sent the ball wide to the right for Palestra, who expertly controlled it, evaded Gallo, and set up the assist for the former Torino player, who calmly slotted in the equalizer. It's Belotti's inaugural goal for Cagliari! Celebration.



Via x.com/SerieA_EN

 

Absolutely, it's an exciting time for Andrea Belotti, the new forward for Cagliari! Belotti successfully scored a penalty with a right-footed shot aimed at the bottom left corner. The penalty was awarded after Tiago Gabriel fouled Belotti in the box. "Gallo" sent the ball across, and although goalkeeper Falcone anticipated it, he couldn't stop it. The Rossoblù are now ahead at Via del Mare, and you can be sure that Belotti has already won over his new supporters.

Lecce v Cagliari Preview

Among the Serie A teams, Lecce and Cagliari have suffered the most losses in the 2025 calendar year, with Lecce losing 12 and Cagliari losing 11 out of 23 matches each.

Lecce has remained unbeaten in six of their last seven Serie A encounters with Cagliari (W2 D4), although they did lose the most recent match (1-4 on January 19 at Unipol Domus). The Sardinians have not won two league matches in a row against Lecce since February 2009 and November 2010.

In Serie A, Lecce has achieved six victories in their 11 home games against Cagliari (D3 L2), including a win last season (1-0 on August 31, 2024). They have only managed to secure more home wins against Udinese and Lazio (both with eight) in the top division.

✅    Player Statistics before the game

Francesco Camarda, who is 17 years and 193 days old at the time of the match, has the chance to become Lecce's youngest Serie A goalscorer, breaking Valeri Bojinov's record of 17 years and 330 days set on January 11, 2004, against Bologna.

Lecce is the team where Gianluca Gaetano has contributed the most goals in Serie A, with three goals in three matches (two goals and one assist). Since making his top-flight debut with Cagliari in February 2024, the player born in 2000 has been involved in the highest number of goals for the Sardinian club in the top division: 12 (six goals and six assists).

Lecce vs Cagliari Match Officials

🇮🇹    Referee Luca Zufferli from the Udine section will oversee the match. The assistants will be Vittorio Di Gioia from the Nola section and Daisuke Emanuele Yoshikawa from the Rome section. The fourth official for the game will be Paride Tremolada from the Monza section.  Matteo Gariglio from the Pinerolo section will serve as the VAR, while Marco Serra from the Turin section will take on the role of AVAR.

 

Lecce official starting lineup against Cagliari

Cagliari official starting lineup against Lecce

Photo via x.com/CagliariCalcio

 



 



Photo via x.com/OfficialUSLecce

2025 – 2026 Italian Serie A Week 4

Result 🟡🔴 Lecce 1 - 2 Cagliari Calcio 🔴🔵
Friday 19 September 2025
Stadio Via del Mare
Lecce, Italy

20:45

Referee: ZUFFERLI
Assistants: DI GIOIA – YOSHIKAWA
IV: TREMOLADA
VAR: GARIGLIO
AVAR: SERRA
20:45

⚽️ Goals:  5' Tiago Gabriel (L), 33', 71' (pen) Andrea Belotti (C)

🟨 Yellow Cards:  20' Tiago Gabriel (L), 26' Lassana Coulibaly (L), 45+1' Sebastiano Esposito (C), 58' Matteo Prati (C), 89' Adam Obert (C)

✅ Official Lineups - Formations - Tabellino:

Lineup Lecce (4-3-3): Falcone; Kouassi, Gaspar, Tiago Gabriel, Gallo; Coulibaly, Ramadani, Sala; Pierotti, Stulic, Sottil.

Subs: Früchtl, Samooja, Ndaba, Siebert, Morente, Berisha, N’Dri, Pérez, Helgason, Veiga, Banda, Camarda, Kaba, Kovac.

Coach: Eusebio Di Francesco.

Lineup Cagliari (4-3-1-2): Caprile; Palestra, Mina, Luperto, Obert; Deiola, Prati, Adopo; Folorunsho; Belotti, Esposito.

Subs: Ciocci, Sarno, Idrissi, Mazzitelli, Kilicsoy, Gaetano, Rodríguez, Felici, Di Pardo, Rog, Cavuoti, Zappa, Borrelli, Pavoletti, Zé Pedro.

Coach: Fabio Pisacane.