Coppa Italia Primavera, Cagliari-Atalanta 0-1

Atalanta won the Coppa Italia Primavera round of 16 match 1-0 at the CRAI Sport Center. The Rossoblù came close to scoring several times: in the first half, the Bergamo goalkeeper saved Sulev’s penalty; late in the game, Costa hit the post. And so, Atalanta advanced to the next round.

THE CHOICES
Coach Pisano lines up his Cagliari team in a 3-5-2 formation: ahead of Kehayov are Russo, captain Cogoni, and Franke. Grandu and Marini operate on the wings; Malfitano, Sulev, and Roguski are in midfield. Up front, Hamdaoua and Mendy play.

ATALANTA TAKES THE LEAD
The visitors took an early lead: in the fourth minute, Baldo received the ball inside the box and fired a precise, low right-footed shot past Kehayov. The Rossoblu responded immediately: first with Mendy, who missed the target from a good position, then with Hamdaoua, whose right-footed shot from a tight angle went wide. In the 17th minute, however, Atalanta came close again: Artesani ran inside and, taking advantage of the tailwind, unleashed a powerful left-footed shot that hit the underside of the crossbar and rebounded without crossing the goal line.

ROSSOBLÙ CLOSE TO DOUBLING THE LEAD
In the 24th minute, Hamdaoua wins a rebound and finds himself one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper, but his close-range shot is blocked. The game is played at a fast pace: the Rossoblù are pushing forward in search of an equalizer, but the Orobici are ready to threaten right away. Thus, in the 38th minute, Cogoni comes very close to scoring an own goal, heading a dangerous cross from the left onto the post. In the 41st minute, Grandu advances in the attacking midfield and passes to Hamdaoua: the attacker is brought down in the penalty area, and it’s a penalty. Sulev takes the spot kick: a powerful but fairly central shot, but the goalkeeper stretches and blocks it. The score goes to half-time with the score at 0-1.

THE SECOND HALF
In the 19th minute of the second half, Cagliari came close again with Malfitano, whose header, set up by a precise cross from Grandu, just missed the post. Cagliari made their first substitutions: Goryanov and Tronci came on for Russo and Sulev. The visitors attempted to counterattack, but first Baldo and then Aliprandi found Kehayov ready. In the 30th minute, Marini came off and Nunn came on. In the 36th minute, Goryanov forced Anelli to deflect a free kick into the corner.

FINAL FORCE
New changes for Coach Pisano: Costa and Cardu come on for Hamdaoua and Rogusky as Cagliari prepares for a final assault. In the 39th minute, the substitute Cardu heads in a Grandu cross. Five minutes of injury time: Mendy finds himself one-on-one with Bergamo goalkeeper Anelli, but misses the opportunity to shoot, and the defense clears it. Cagliari again: Costa shoots from the edge of the box, the ball deflects, and hits the outside of the post. There’s no time for a corner (Rossoneri protests cost Kehayov a red card), and Atalanta advances in the competition.