Cagliari 0-1 Palermo

Cagliari lost 1-0 at home to Palermo on Sunday afternoon to suffer relegation and have their 11-year run in Serie A come to a painful end.The hosts went into the game at the Sant' Elia stadium needing not only to win but for 17th-place Atalanta to fall to Genoa.Atalanta lost 4-1 to Genoa but Cagliari failed to capitalise as Franco Vazquez scored the only goal of the game in the ninth minute.Cagliari had plenty of chances to equalise but Gianluca Festa's men were denied by Palermo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino, who made a string of good saves.The outcome in Sardinia, Palermo's third win on the road this season, halted a four-match winless run for the Sicilians and lifted them to 10th place while Cagliari remained second-bottom.Palermo dominated early possession and went in front when Cagliari defender Luca Rossettini's poor clearance fell to Vazquez in the area and the Italian midfielder struck a left-footed shot past a helpless Cagliari goalkeeper Zeljko Brkic.Cagliari almost pulled level in the 13th minute but Duje Cop's right-footed attempt from the heart of the area was kept out by goalkeeper Sorrentino.At the other end, Brkic made a good save from Andrea Belotti's close-range strike.Cagliari pushed forward and in the 27th minute Albin Ekdal got past his marker and struck a right-footed shot that was saved by Sorrentino.The home side then threatened again before the interval when Cop picked out Farias in the box and his diagonal strike forced Sorrrentino into another fine save.Cagliari kept up the pressure after the break and in the 62nd minute, Cop's six-yard strike was kept out by Sorrentino.Brkic then made two saves when both Andrea Belotti and Robin Quaison got shots from the area on target.With 15 minutes remaining, Joao Pedro got past his marker and launched a 20-yard bullet strike which Sorrentino saved.Cagliari got no closer and endured their 20th defeat of the campaign.ends