Cagliari fire Maran, hire Zenga

CAGLIARI (AP):

Cagliari fired Rolando Maran yesterday amid an 11-match winless streak in Serie A and hired Walter Zenga as their new coach.

The move came two days after a 4-3 loss at home against Roma left the Sardinian club in 11th place.

Zenga, the former Inter Milan and Italy goalkeeper whose most recent job was at Venezia, was given a contract through next season.

Cagliari had exceeded expectations with their strong start to the season, which had them contending for the Champions League places with a 13-match unbeaten streak from the third through the 15th rounds. But the squad has been in a downward spiral since December.

Maran was in his second season in charge of Cagliari.

It’s the 13th coaching change in the 20-team Italian league this season.