Coppa Italia Primavera, Cagliari advance to the next round

At the CRAI Sport Center in Assemini, Cagliari’s Under-20 side, coached by Gallego, defeated Lecco 4-1 to secure their place in the Round of 32 of the Primavera Coppa Italia. Club President Tommaso Giulini was in attendance in the stands as Hamdaoua, Cardu, Piredda and Costa found the net. The Rossoblù will now face Lecce.

END-TO-END ACTION
Sarno started in goal, behind a back three of Nuvoli, Giulini and Doppio. Hamdaoua operated on the right flank, with Battaglini on the left, while Piro and Piredda formed the midfield pairing. Cardu played in the attacking midfield role, supporting Mehlstrand and Sugamele.
Cagliari made a strong start, with Sugamele narrowly clearing the crossbar in the 3rd minute before Hamdaoua threatened with a right-footed effort that went just wide. However, Lecco took the lead with their first opportunity: Nicoli (10’) made a well-timed run into the box and beat Sarno. The Rossoblù responded immediately. Piredda tested Corna from distance with a powerful but central effort, which the goalkeeper saved. Corna could do nothing in the 12th minute, when Battaglini broke down the left and delivered a fine cross into the box, allowing Hamdaoua to level the score with an acrobatic volley.

CAGLIARI TAKE THE LEAD
The Rossoblù continued to press forward. Cardu was particularly influential, first forcing Corna into a save with a powerful strike, then driving forward before being brought down just outside the penalty area. Sugamele took the resulting free kick and aimed for the top corner, but Corna produced an excellent save to turn the ball behind for a corner. From the resulting set piece, Lecco’s defence cleared the ball, which fell to Cardu on the edge of the box. He struck it on the volley to make it 2-1 in the 27th minute. Just a few minutes later, Gallego’s side extended their lead. Nuvoli delivered a low cross from the right, which the goalkeeper managed to get a touch on. Piredda reacted quickest and found the net despite the defenders’ attempt to clear the ball off the line.

ROSSOBLÙ IN CONTROL
The Lecco goalkeeper was called into action twice in one-on-one situations, first against Sugamele, who had been played through by Cardu, and then against Hamdaoua. He managed to keep out both efforts. In the 41st minute, Lecco threatened to reduce the deficit, but Pisano’s fine volley flashed just wide. Before half-time, Sugamele had another good opportunity, but his shot was deflected onto the outside of the net.

COSTA COMPLETES THE ROUT
The second half began with two substitutions: Barry and Akarakiri replaced Sugamele and Piro respectively. In the 10th minute, Mawassa came on for Giulini, while Costa replaced Mehlstrand.
In the 16th minute, Akarakiri advanced from midfield and played a clever through ball to Costa, but Corna made the save. In the 22nd minute, Hamdaoua won a free kick near the right-hand edge of the penalty area. Piredda took the set piece with his left foot, and when the goalkeeper parried his effort, Costa reacted quickest to score from close range and make it 4-1.
A few minutes later, Sarno produced an excellent save of his own, diving to his right to turn Spreafico’s low, angled shot behind for a corner. Tronci then came on for Hamdaoua as the Rossoblù made their final substitution. The closing stages passed without any further major incidents. Following their impressive league victory over Como, Cagliari secured another positive result, booking their place in the next round of the Coppa Italia Primavera. They will face Lecce away from home in the Round of 32.

MATCH REPORT

CAGLIARI: Sarno, Nuvoli, Giulini (Mawassa 10’ 2H), Doppio; Hamdaoua (Tronci 27’ 2H), Piro (Akarakiri 1’ 2H), Piredda, Battaglini; Cardu; Sugamele (Barry 1’ 2H), Mehlstrand (Costa 10’ 2H). Subs: Kehayov, Bahlaouan, Lo Verde, Prettenhoffer, Goryanov, Romano. Coach: Gallego.

LECCO: Corna, Brunati, Manzinali, Rosa; Pisano (Spreafico 19’ 2H), Durante (Terrero 6’ 2H), Licata (Dalmaggioni 6’ 2H), Nicoli (Valente 34’ 2H), Suppa (Leoni 19’ 2H); Perucchini, Caca. Subs: Goldin, Buccheri, Servietti, Alfieri, Santulli, Valenta. Coach: Mazzoleni.

REFEREE: Davide Galiffi.

GOALS: 10’ 1H Nicoli (L), 12’ 1H Hamdaoua (C), 27’ 1H Cardu (C), 32’ 1H Piredda (C), 22’ 2H Costa (C).