Cagliari – Milan, Getty Images 02 January 2026, 23:47

Milan won an away victory over Cagliari in the match of the 18th round of Serie A. The only and decisive goal in the match in Sardinia was scored by Rafael Leau, who distinguished himself at the beginning of the second half.

The first half was an even battle with chances at both goals. Cagliari came dangerously close to Mike Megnan’s possession on several occasions, while Milan responded with quick wing attacks. At the end of the first half, the hosts avoided a penalty – a foul on Ruben Loftus-Cheek was disallowed for offside in the earlier phase of the attack.

After the break, the visitors significantly increased their intensity and quickly converted the advantage into a goal. In the 50th minute, Adrien Rabiot broke through the right flank and rolled the ball into the penalty area, where Leau received the pass and opened the score with a powerful shot into the far upper corner — 0:1.

In the second half, Niklas Füllkrug made his debut for Milan, coming on as a substitute after his recent move from West Ham. Cagliari tried to save the match, creating several dangerous moments, but Menghan and the defense of the visitors kept a minimal advantage.

With the win, Milan picked up an important three points in the race for the top spots in the standings, while Cagliari continue to hover near the relegation zone.

Cagliari: Caprile – Zappa, Rodriguez, Luperto – Palestra, Adopo, Prati (Borrelli, 61), Mazzitelli (Cavuoti, 83), Obert (Idrissi, 61) – Esposito (Gaetano, 66) – Kylicsoy (Pavoletti, 83)

Milan: Meignan — Tomori, De Winter, Barthezaghi — Salemakers, Fofana (Ricci, 69), Modric, Rabiot, Estupignan (Gabbia, 79) — Loftus-Cheek, Leau (Füllkrug, 69)

Warning: Idrissi, Palestra – Salemakers