Cagliari had a strong first half, going into halftime with Parma tied 0-0. The Rossoblù dominated the game for long stretches, though the best chance fell to the Ducali with a miraculous save from Caprile on Pellegrino.

Cagliari played a 3-5-2 and Liteta returned after three months since his last appearance . Kılıçsoy immediately hit the post, but was clearly offside. The Turk, however, produced a brilliant move in the 9th minute, skipping past an opponent in the box and firing with his left foot, only to be saved by Corvi. Esposito pounced on the rebound, but Delprato blocked it in the center of the box.

Cagliari got off to a good start, with Parma struggling to hold on to striker Pellegrino , who made his mark in the 13th minute with a header wide from a corner. A minute later, Ordóñez attempted a weak shot, but it went wide. In the 17th minute, the Gialloblù protested mildly after a clash between Britschgi and Liteta. Referee Massimi allowed play to continue, but there wasn't much to justify the penalty call.

The first yellow card came in the 21st minute, following a foul by the returning Rodríguez on Keita, who had skipped past him. Three minutes later, Esposito broke free on the edge of the box to take a shot: it went over. Shortly after the half-hour mark, in the 33rd minute, .