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Robert Acquafresca's soft penalty continued Cagliari's Mission Impossible as they moved within four points of safety.
Time is running out for the Sardinians, even if they have been on stunning form with three wins in the previous five games, including Sunday's 3-0 hammering of Torino. Atalanta were also victorious at the weekend, 4-1 over Empoli, but had only won once in their last 15 visits to the Sant'Elia and rested all-time club top scorer Cristiano Doni.
Antonio Langella was given a less than warm welcome by his former fans in Sardinia. Nelson Jeda failed to take advantage of Maximiliano Pellegrino's defensive error.
Pellegrino made another mistake when he challenged Robert Acquafresca in too forceful a fashion and the referee awarded a soft penalty. Acquafresca, who has approached by Poland last week to star in Euro 2008, sent Ferdinando Coppola the wrong way for his fifth goal of the season.
Andrea Cossu's free kick bounced just in front of Coppola and almost took the goalkeeper by surprise.
Atalanta's first real chance was on the stroke of half-time when Marco Storari palmed a Zlatan Muslimovic angled drive round the post.
Moris Carrozzieri saw Storari off his line and attempted an audacious lob, then the goalkeeper flew to palm another looping Sergio Floccari shot from distance out from under the crossbar.
Carrozzieri has the worst disciplinary record in Serie A and saw red on 76 minutes for a second bookable offence.
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