Two days away from the excitement goodbye to Gigi Rivail Torino does not make discounts Cagliari on the evening of the homage of the rossoblù people to “Thunderclap” at the Unipol Domus. On the 22nd matchday of Serie A the team of In fact, Juric beat Ranieri’s men 2-1 e momentarily catches Napoli at 31 points close to the zone valid for Europe. In the first half the Sardinians resist for twenty minutes, then fall under the blows of Zapata (23′) e Ricci (48′) and they avoid a worse partial thanks to the saves of Scuffet. In the second half the home team reacted thanks to the substitutions and committed Milinkovic-Savic and they close the distances with a feat of Viola (77′), but they are unable to complete the comeback despite forcing themselves at the end. In recovery Pellegri’s goal was cancelled.
THE MATCH
For the first outing after the death of Gigi Riva, Cagliari presents itself at the Unipol Domus with still shining eyes and a heart full of emotion, sadness and pride. On the pitch the match opens amidst applause with a long one chilling homage to “Rombo di Tuono”, then, after a minute of silence, Colombo’s starting whistle breaks the surreal atmosphere of the pre-match and begins the match. Hunting for points in the hot zone of the standings, Ranieri relies on Petagna at the front with Nandez and Jankto in support. With Europe in his sights, Juric in attack instead focuses everything on the Sanabria-Zapata tandem with Vlasic in the attacking midfield and Bellanova and Lazaro in the lanes. Arranged almost like a mirror, the teams study each other at the start and the battle is played entirely in the midfield between hard tackles on second balls, long balls and narrow errors in the narrows. In the white shirt and with Riva’s number 11 on their chest, Cagliari maneuvered little and immediately looked for Petagna. More orderly in the possession phase, the Granata instead try to build by leaning vertically on Vlasic and widening the game on the outside. After a clash with Linetty, Sulemana gives way to Prati due to an ankle problem, then in the 11th minute the whole stadium pays another tribute to “Rombo di Tuono” amidst applause. I remember that he lights up the rossoblù curve and slowly brings attention back to the pitch. More precise in his dribbling from behind, after twenty minutes without shots on goal, Toro gained metres, increased his lanes and took the lead. Zapata breaks the deadlock with a strike into the area, but it all comes from Vlasic’s intuition and a great performance from Bellanova. Goal that breaks the balance and ignites the match. Taller and more aggressive, Cagliari raises the pace and tries to react. On the one hand, Petagna and Jankto perfected their understanding, but Milinkovic-Savic was attentive and defused at least three dangerous opportunities even with a bit of luck. On the other hand, Scuffet received Ricci’s second goal in added time after having opposed a shot from Sanabria, a close-range shot from Zapata and a deflection towards his goal from a disastrous Wieteska.
The second half opens with two substitutions for Cagliari: Hatzidiakos and Jankto out, Viola and Pavoletti in. Moves that mix the cards a bit from a tactical point of view and stretch the teams. Scuffet saves a left-footed shot from Zapata, then Buongiorno blocks a cross from Nandez, Zappa sends the ball wide following the development of a corner and a diagonal shot from Bellanova ends wide after a good counterattack started by Vlasic. With more space and less tactics, the match turns into a continuous back-and-forth and opportunities rain down. Caught by Viola, Pavoletti tries to head it, but Milinkovic Savic blocks. Then it’s Sanabria who tries her luck with a gored shot, but the aim is imprecise. Milinkovic Savic says no to Petagna, Prati and Dossena. Shortly before, however, the trio failed in Sanabria after another great incursion by Bellanova. Hunting for goals, Ranieri goes all-in, removes Azzi and Nandez and brings in Augello and Pavoletti. But it was Toro who came close to scoring a big shot with a free kick from Gineitis. Disorderly, but under pressure, Cagliari attacks with their heads down. Torino, on the other hand, defends itself and starts again. Inspired and motivated, Viola tries to give a shock by shortening the distance with a wonderful left-footed shot that goes just behind the post. A goal that transformed the last twenty minutes into an assault by the home team and forced the Granata to defend themselves with all their strength. Milinkovic-Savic blocked a free kick from Viola, then Sazanov blocked Lapadula on at least three occasions and Colombo canceled out a goal from Pellegri (who came on in place of Zapata) due to an irregular position from Vojvoda (who came on for Bellanova). Episodes that trigger applause from the Unipol Domus at the final whistle, but which are not enough for Cagliari to pay homage to Riva with a great comeback.
REPORT CARDS
Wieteska 4.5: evening to forget. With Zapata you never see her and she is always a negative protagonist in duels and on goal actions. In the first half he also risks an own goal
Jankto 5: in the first half he was the only one to get scoring opportunities, but his aim betrayed him and he missed at least three good chances to score. During the interval Ranieri replaces him with Pavoletti
Petagna 5.5: in the first half he almost always works with his back to the goal and does his job by serving Jankto in particular. In the second half Pavoletti comes in to help him and it goes better, but he misses a good opportunity
Viola 7: he comes in and changes the face of Cagliari with his fine play. The goal is a feat that gives Milinkovic-Savic no chance
Zapata 7: he fights and fights with everyone, often managing to get the upper hand in narrow and open fields. He breaks the deadlock with a kick, then keeps Scuffet busy with his plays
Vlasic 6,5: it floats between the lines and makes a difference. He moves back and gives geometry and ideas to the maneuver, triggering the insertions of the wingers and more. Quality at the service of the team
Bellanova 7: he proposes himself with continuity and pushes with leg and personality. The first goal comes from his imperious ride. In the second half it is repeated, but Sanabria gets everything wrong
Ricci 6,5: quantity and quality in the median. He trots in the strait, but when he accelerates with the ball at his feet he leaves his mark. The doubling action with which he first gets rid of Wieteska with a tunnel and then cold Scuffet after having also disoriented Dossena is noteworthy. In the second half he was out with an ankle problem
THE SCORESHEET
CAGLIARI-TORINO 1-2
Cagliari (3-4-2-1): Scuffet 6.5; Wieteska 4.5, Dossena 5, Hatzidiakos 4.5 (1′ st Viola 7); Zappa 5.5, Sulemana sv (11′ Prati 6), Makoumbou 6, Azzi 5 (26′ st Augello 6); Nandez 6 (26′ st Lapadula 6.5), Jankto 5 (1′ st Pavoletti 6); Petagna 5.5.
A disp.: Radunovic, Aresti, Obert, Di Pardo, Deiola, Dasogus.
All.: Ranieri 5,5
Torino (3-4-1-2): Milinkovic Savic 7; Tameze 6, Buongiorno 7, Rodriguez 6; Bellanova 7 (42′ st Vojvoda sv), Ricci 7 (17′ st Gineitis 6), Linetty 6, Lazarus 6; Vlasic 6.5; Sanabria 6 (33′ st Sazanov 6.5), Zapata 7 (42′ st Pellegri sv).
A disp.: Gemello, Popa, Zima, , Muntu, Bianay, Savva, Ciammaglichella, Njie.
All.: Juric 6.5
Referee: Colombo
Markers: 23′ Zapata (T), 48′ Ricci (T), 32′ st Viola (C)
Ammonites: Wieteska, Viola (C); Ricci, Milinkovic Savic, Buongiorno, Rodriguez (T)
Expelled: –
THE STATISTICS
• 150th appearance in all competitions with the Cagliari shirt for Nahitan Nández.
• Duván Zapata scored his fifth goal for Torino this season, his first away from home (he hadn’t scored in an away match in the tournament since 28 August, in Frosinone-Atalanta wearing the Bergamo shirt).
• Since the beginning of December 2023, in Serie A, Duván Zapata has been involved in six goals from open play (four goals and two assists): in the period only Dusan Vlahovic (seven) has done better in the top flight.
• No team has conceded more goals than Cagliari in the middle quarter of an hour of the first half (16′-30′) in this Serie A: eight, like Frosinone.
• Third assist in this championship for Raoul Bellanova, record for the winger in a single Serie A season (surpassing the two who arrived in 2021/22, with Cagliari).
• Torino have not conceded a goal in the first half in 19 of their 21 matches, better than any other team in Serie A this season.
• Samuele Ricci (born 2001) is the youngest Italian midfielder to score in each of the last three seasons in Serie A.
• Cagliari is the team that in this Serie A has ended the most first halves (five) with a deficit of at least two goals.
• Cagliari had not suffered a home defeat in Serie A since 8 October 2023 (1-4 defeat against Roma).
• Four of Nicolas Viola’s five goalscoring appearances this season have come as a substitute (three goals, one assist); in general no player has more per match in progress in the 2023/24 Serie A (like Lautaro Martínez and Leonardo Pavoletti).
• Torino have collected more than 30 points in the first 21 games of a Serie A championship for the third time in the points-per-win era (31 as in 2021/22, only less than the 32 in 2013/14).
• Cagliari made 25 shots against Torino: a seasonal record for the rossoblù, surpassing the 24 shots in the first leg against Frosinone.