Both Cagliari and Empoli headed into matchday five on the back of contrasting results, with the hosts winless after their first four games, while the unbeaten Azzurri looked to build on a promising start to the season including a draw against Juventus.
Before long, Giuseppe Pezzella’s fierce drive from inside the area had Simone Scuffet worried, although it hit the side netting, as the Tuscans mounted pressure and eventually succeeded just past the half-hour mark.
Picking Faustino Anjorin’s pass outside the box, Lorenzo Colombo dashed beyond the final defender before dispatching a clinical left-footed finish into the bottom corner to break open the deadlock.
The scoreline mirrored a familiar pattern; six of their last nine top-flight meetings, as well as Cagliari’s last three league outings, had produced just one goal before half-time, and the Isolani’s struggles continued as they found themselves trailing once more.
With both points this campaign arriving at home, there was still some hope for a comeback for the hosts.
However, Roberto D’Aversa’s men doubled their lead just minutes into the second half, with Sebastiano Esposito netting his first Serie A goal in five years with a clever finish from close range after his initial attempt was saved at the near post by Scuffet.
The Sardinian faithful remained unwavering though, rallying behind their side as Cagliari went in search of halving the deficit going into the final 20 minutes, although it was Esposito’s stunning shot eight minutes from full-time that almost stole the headlines.
Davide Nicola’s five second-half substitutions ultimately made no impact, as the Rossoblu failed to score for the fourth time in five league games, and are now winless in their five first opening games of a Serie A campaign for the third season running.
Things are looking bright for Empoli on the other hand, as they remain without defeat in their first five games of a single campaign for the first time ever, in addition to D’Aversa halting his personal seven-game winless head-to-head record.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Sebastiano Esposito (Empoli)