Cagliari's first half ended goalless, with Lecce drawing 0-0. The Rossoblu had their best chances just before halftime, twice through Zappa and once through Sulemana.

Cagliari lined up in a 3-4-3 formation: Mina in the center with Zé Pedro and Obert as center-backs, Palestra and Esposito flanking Pavoletti . The first quarter of an hour didn't have any particular upheavals: the only one came from the rossoblù captain himself, in the 12th minute, when he beat Cheddira to a header and sent a corner from the left taken into the center of the area.

Two tackles, a head-to-head between Sottil and Sulemana in the 19th minute and one involving Esposito in the 26th minute, disrupted the play in the middle of the game, which was devoid of any excitement. Lecce had one—a big one—in the 28th minute: after a mistake by Esposito coming out, Ramadani recovered and played a pass from the right to Gandelman in the center of the area. His dribbling assisted the former player, Sottil, who controlled the ball but missed the shot with his left foot (over) .

On the half-hour mark, a pass to Cheddira set up the ball. The former Bari player entered the box and tried to free himself for a shot. He managed to find Gandelman, who was blocked by Obert as he attempted to shoot, and then Zé Pedro blocked Pierotti's rebound. After a long period of Lecce possession, Cagliari came back in the 37th minute. Obert crossed from the left for Pavoletti, who controlled it and fired it in, but Gaspar blocked it. . It was a good opportunity.