The home side were on top in the opening exchanges at Turin’s imposing Juventus Stadium, with Francisco Conceicao having an effort from inside the area blocked, but it was the visitors who took a surprise lead with the half-hour mark approaching.
After regaining possession high up the pitch, Marco Palestra broke into the area before squaring to Sebastiano Esposito, whose first-time finish found the bottom right-hand corner of the net to stun the home fans.
But this was as good as it got for Cagliari, and their lead would only last a minute, as a loose ball inside the area was latched onto by Kenan Yildiz, whose first-time finish also found the bottom right-hand corner to draw the Old Lady level.
Luciano Spalletti’s side then took control of the contest, and they got their reward in first-half stoppage time, when Pierre Kalulu squared the ball to Yildiz, who advanced into the area before sending his left-footed effort into the bottom right-hand corner.
With Juventus having drawn five of their previous six competitive home games, there was still room for some nerves amongst the home fans.
But they kept the Rossoblu at bay, and while Conceicao could have made things more comfortable for the hosts late on - only for his effort from inside the area to clear the crossbar - the Old Lady held on to claim an important three points with minimal fuss.
Following this result, Juventus are still yet to taste defeat under new boss Spalletti, and continue to recover from a below-par start to the season.
They remain on pace with the teams in the European places above them, but it’s a different story for Cagliari, who are now winless in nine league matches and just one point above the relegation zone.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kenan Yildiz (Juventus)
