Cagliari are sliding closer towards relegation with a seventh defeat in eight games, as Hellas Verona edge towards a new club points record.
The Sardinians were hovering just three points above the relegation zone after a last-gasp defeat to Genoa. Massimo Lovato returned from suspension, with Marko Rog and Nahitan Nandez back to full fitness. Hellas coach Igor Tudor sat out a touchline ban.
Verona started aggressively, Alessio Cragno getting down rapidly to meet a Martin Hongla strike, then beaten by Antonin Barak after Giovanni Simeone pounced on a double Dalbert defensive error.
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Cagliari fought back, Razvan Marin’s free kick fingertipped over, then on the resulting corner Lorenzo Montipò also pushed a Giorgio Altare header onto the top of the crossbar.
Marco Davide Faraoni stung Cragno’s gloves at the near post, but Joao Pedro also blasted inches wide from the edge of the area.
The Sardinians rattled the frame of the goal again, this time with Keita Balde Diao’s strike bouncing off the crossbar and Dalbert charged down on the rebound.
Just as the hosts were pushing hard, Verona doubled their lead when Gianluca Caprari controlled a long ball, cut inside and fired right-footed into the far bottom corner.
Cagliari did get back into it with an absolute rocket of a free kick from Joao Pedro into the far top corner, leaving Montipò no chance.
Simeone struck the side-netting, but Lovato had to play until the end despite bleeding from his head, as all the substitutions had been completed.
Cagliari 1-2 Verona
Barak 8 (V), Caprari 44 (V), Joao Pedro 57 (C)