Cagliari have hit a purple patch after a rocky start to the season, and with momentum on their side, they flew out of the traps in Bergamo.
The opening 15 minutes yielded their first sighting of goal when Alessandro Romano let fly from distance and forced Marco Carnesecchi to turn the ball around the post.
The visitors didn’t have to wait too much longer to find a breakthrough though, taking a deserved lead on 19 minutes when Michel Adopo raced in behind and squared for Paul Mendy to turn the ball in off the underside of the crossbar.
The Rossoblù’s approach was unrelenting at times, and they came close to doubling their advantage through Daniel Maldini whose curling effort was beaten away by Carnesecchi. That proved to be a huge moment in the scheme of the match as Atalanta hit back shortly before the break.
Charles De Ketelaere’s lung-busting run through the heart of midfield looked to have been snuffed out by the Cagliari defence, but the ball dropped kindly for Gianluca Scamacca, who slammed home into the far corner.
Conceding didn’t deter the visitors, who were straight back on the offensive after the break and thought they’d nosed back in front. Mendy again was heavily involved, finishing off after Romano played him through on goal, but after a lengthy VAR check, it was adjudged the Cagliari frontman had strayed marginally offside before racing clear.
The officiating was soon working in their favour though, as a Sead Kolasinac handball handed Cagliari a penalty, one which Maldini converted, sending former teammate Carnesecchi the wrong way to fire his side back in front.
The hosts appeared devoid of ideas as they looked to get back on level terms, but a moment of invention from Lazar Samardzic as he squirmed between a crowd of defenders inside the area before poking the ball inches wide of the target almost yielded an equaliser against the run of play.
La Dea’s quest to claim a point ultimately proved fruitless as Cagliari held on to move onto nine points after four games, just the third time in history they’ve ever managed such a feat.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta)