Gun of a son Simeone shoots down Juventus with wonder-goal
First-half goals from Luca Gagliano and Giovanni Simeone gave Cagliari a deserved 2-0 victory over newly-crowned Serie A champion Juventus.
Juve wrapped up its ninth consecutive title with a 2-0 win over Sampdoria at the weekend, although patchy recent form means Maurizio Sarri's side has won only two of its past seven matches.
A vibrant Cagliari was the beneficiary on this occasion, with Gagliano giving it an early lead to set it on the way to a first July win at the ninth and final attempt.
It proved a frustrating night for Cristiano Ronaldo, while Simeone – the son of Atletico Madrid boss Diego – came up with a superb finish worthy of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in first-half stoppage time.
Gianluigi Buffon was back in the Juventus starting line-up and picking the ball out of his net in the eighth minute, when Federico Mattiello drove Paolo Farago's right-wing cross back across goal for Gagliano to finish from close range.
Ronaldo – engaged in what appears to be an increasingly futile pursuit of Ciro Immobile in the Capocannoniere stakes – touched in Federico Bernardeschi's stabbed through-ball from an offside position and racked up four blocked attempts by the interval.
Gonzalo Higuain volleyed over from Bernardeschi's 38th-minute corner before Juve went further beyond due to Simeone's sublime 20-yard drive.
Joao Pedro sent a shot from similar range skimming wide early in the second half before Buffon plunged to keep out a Simeone volley – the defence in front of the veteran gloveman continuing to look terribly disjointed.
Atalanta-bound Simone Muratore had a long-range effort saved by Cagliari keeper Alessio Cragno, who also got down sharply to keep out Ronaldo's left-footer from 25 yard in the 68th minute.
Simeone might have added to his tally and Juve's misery when he sliced wide before the visitor pounded at the Cagliari defence with diminishing return until the final whistle.