Primavera beats Genoa

A victory of quality and depth for Cagliari’s Primavera, who beat Genoa 2-1, playing a game of proposal and concreteness, suffering only in the final stages. Three heavy points that leave Cagliari in the race for the playoffs, while waiting for the results of their competitors to see if the last day can also bring a coda to this, nevertheless excellent, season.

CHOICES
Pisacane opts for a 3-4-1-2 with Carboni suggesting Bolzan and Vinciguerra, in the middle there are Marcolini and Balde with Marini on the left and Grandu on the right. A three-man defence with Pintus, Catena and Idrissi all in front of Auseklis.

MATCH REPORT
The first half was all Sardinian, although the first real chance (apart from a couple of counter-attacks not well managed and a yellow card for Pittino already in the 3rd minute on Vinciguerra’s restart) came in the 45th minute with Bolzan’s goal: an excellent action by Trepy, Vinciguerra with his right hand committed Calvani, on the tap-in the former Roma player did not miss, leading Cagliari with the third consecutive goal. Before the hosts’ goal, there had been a lot of manoeuvring and interesting initiatives, always lacking the last gasp. In the 22nd minute, unfortunately, Balde stopped, a muscle problem, and Trepy entered, who was to be instrumental in energising Cagliari’s performance. The second half began along the same lines: the three-man defence closed carefully, on the right Grandu buffered and restarted, on the left Idrissi gave drive and charisma, while the midfielders and forwards created and finished. As in the 56th minute, when Vinciguerra found Carboni to accompany a choral combination in the narrow, very soft left-footer at the far post for the ’10’ and 2-0 Cagliari. Genoa started the substitutions, the match was broken up and the spice only came in the final. In the 80th minute Pintus saves on Ekhator, Genoa crosses a lot and creates density, Cagliari restarts. Venturino and Rossi tried, then at the last moment, from a corner, Abdellaoui’s header signed the Ligurian flagship goal.

THE WORDS OF FABIO PISACANE
“Today we are very happy,” commented the red-blue coach on the Ussana pitch, today the scene of the challenge. “It was an important match for the classification but above all for our path started in the summer and that day after day is making us grow. We wanted to get a precious victory, redeeming the first leg where the emotional factor had counted a lot for someone, facing a coach like Alessandro Agostini who represents so much for Cagliari and Cagliari, in addition to being a very prepared coach as we have seen today and throughout the season”. On the match: “We interpreted the match very well in every aspect, striking at the right time, suffering as it should be, they are three points that repay us, beyond the classification. We will wait for the other results, we will play the last game as always, because there is not only the result but there is a work of the whole staff on the boys and on the collective”. Regrets for some lost points? “I do not like to look back and it makes little sense, at the end of the season the standings and results are the litmus test of what you have done, certainly in some games we could have done better, but today I am happy for what the boys have done, not regretful for this or that game not won. We move forward with confidence, the example is the performance of a boy like Nicola Grandu: he is the emblem of what it means to dream and have ambition, to work hard with attachment to the Cagliari shirt, and the emblem of our work with young people. I jokingly nicknamed him ‘Grandez’, for his grit and ‘garra’ he reminded me of our Nahitan… Well done everyone, from the first to the last, today we celebrate and then it’s back to work to close a high-profile year in the best possible way, with the usual desire to improve.