Cagliari surged further clear of danger with a commanding 4-0 victory over 10-man Hellas Verona, a result lit up by a stunning scissor-kick volley from Semih Kilicsoy that stole the spotlight at the Unipol Domus.
The clash carried huge relegation significance. Verona arrived joint-bottom of the table alongside Pisa, while Cagliari had begun to pull away thanks to impressive back-to-back wins against Juventus and Fiorentina.
The hosts were without Michael Folorunsho, Andrea Belotti and Mattia Felici through injury, while Verona travelled minus Rafik Belghali, Armel Bella-Kotchap and Tomas Suslov.
The first real opening fell to Mazzitelli, whose sharp volley from the edge of the area forced Simone Perilli into a full-stretch fingertip save around the near post.
Verona’s problems deepened early when Roberto Gagliardini, struggling after a painful knock to the ribs, was forced off. January signing Sandi Lovric was thrown straight in, making his debut only hours after completing his move from Udinese.
Cagliari made the pressure count when Marco Palestra powered past two challenges to reach the by-line. Adam Obert cleverly spotted Mazzitelli unmarked behind him and produced a deft back-heel assist, allowing the midfielder to drive a low finish inside the near post.
The hosts kept pushing. Sebastiano Esposito fired narrowly over after another driving run from Palestra, before Kilicsoy produced a moment of brilliance.
Meeting Esposito’s cross at the back post following a corner, the forward unleashed an acrobatic scissor-kick volley.
Though initially ruled out for offside, VAR overturned the decision and confirmed the goal.
Hellas Verona’s night unravelled further when Amin Sarr was dismissed, collecting a second yellow card for two late, clumsy challenges on Mazzitelli and Ze Pedro.
Despite being down to ten men, Verona briefly threatened as Daniel Mosquera’s deflected effort looped dangerously toward the top corner, forcing Elia Caprile into a fingertip save over the bar.
At the other end, Perilli again kept the scoreline respectable with sharp stops from Sebastiano Luperto and later from Michel Adopo’s powerful header.
However, he could not prevent Ibrahim Sulemana from converting the rebound to make it 3-0. Lovric’s Verona debut ended prematurely too, as he was forced off with a minor injury.
Any remaining resistance collapsed in stoppage time. Gabriele Zappa delivered a pinpoint cross from the right, and Riyad Idrissi rose unmarked to head home from close range, sealing a ruthless 4-0 win. Fittingly, both of Idrissi’s Serie A goals have come against Verona.
The emphatic victory leaves Cagliari comfortably mid-table, while Hellas Verona’s relegation worries continue to deepen.
