Primavera 1: Cagliari U20 draw with Monza

Cagliari picked up a point in the late match of the sixth matchday of the Primavera 1 Under-20 championship. At the CRAI Sport Center in Assemini, the match ended 1-1 against Monza, who were held to a near-fall by a Costa effort in injury time. In any case, it was a more than deserved draw: the Rossoblu had created the better chances, but were less fortunate in their shots on goal, especially through Sugamele.

FIRST HALF BLOCKED
Monza had a goal ruled out for Zanni’s offside in the 3rd minute. Cagliari’s first attempt came through Sugamele, whose shot failed to trouble goalkeeper Strajnar. Sugamele threatened again in the 12th minute, driving between Monza defenders before shooting from a tight angle and sending the ball wide. The game struggled to come to life. In the 24th minute, Cagliari were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area, but Akarakiri fired over. Four minutes later, a cross from the left bounced inside Monza’s six-yard box, and Sugamele attempted a turn and shot, only for Drobnic to block his effort. Cagliari came close to opening the scoring in the 38th minute when Mawassa met a corner from the left with a well-directed header, forcing Strajnar to palm the ball away at the near post. In the 41st minute, Goryanov produced a fine long-range effort. The ball bounced in front of the goalkeeper before narrowly missing the right post. The teams went into half-time goalless.

MISTER GALLEGO’S FIRST CHANGES
In the 54th minute, Sugamele’s missed shot turned into an assist for Cardu from close range. The goalkeeper made a superb save, but the goal was offside and would have been disallowed. Cagliari came very close to taking the lead in the 15th minute. The move began with Sugamele, who found Akarakiri on the edge of the box. The Englishman cleverly passed the ball inside to Sugamele, whose left-footed shot went just wide. The Rossoblu’s number 10 did the same shortly thereafter, his shot from inside the box going just over the crossbar. Cagliari coach Gallego changed his lineup in the 68th minute: Costa and Bahlaouan came in for Cardu and Lo Verde.

GOAL FROM THE BENCH
Monza, with a sly strike, struck in the 82nd minute: Fardin, lively and inspired, broke through the Rossoblu defense, finding himself alone in front of Kehayov. The goalkeeper blocked the ball with his body but was powerless to stop the shot from the substitute Elezz. It was a tough blow for Cagliari, who struggled to react, despite the introductions of Tronci, Barry, and Nelhstrand. Monza even came close to doubling their lead with Fardin and Elezz. But on the last chance of the match, Costa collected a rebound from the defense, controlled the ball with his chest, and fired a powerful, precise, half-height shot into the back of the net. At least one point for a determined Cagliari, who now sits alone in ninth place on eight points in the standings, while Monza remains five points behind. Saturday they travel to AC Milan.

MATCH REPORT

CAGLIARI: Kehayov, Grandu, Mawassa, Nuvoli, Lo Verde (68′ Bahlaouan), Doppio (83′ Tronci), Akarakiri, Piro (90′ Barry), Cardu (68′ Costa), Goryanov (90′ Mehlstrand), Sugamele. Subs: Sarno, Tronci, Piredda, Battaglini, Romano, Sow, Hamdaoua. Head coach: Gallego.

MONZA: Strajnar, Drobnic, Villa, Martone, Mariani, Cassina (74’ Gamba), Varesis (59’ Elezz), Dia (65’ Scaramelli), Attanasi, Rota Bulo (46’ Fardin), Zanni (59’ Fogliaro) – Available Ballabio, Scifo, Ganci, Perego, Badarau, Carobbio – Coach: Vulcano.

REFEREE: Ambrosino from Torre del Greco.

GOALS: 82’ Elezz, 90 (+4) Costa.