At the Sardegna Arena, Cagliari and Fiorentina clashed in an exciting encounter, ending in a 1-1 draw during the first round of Serie A.
Fiorentina took the lead in the second half, with Rolando Mandragora striking in the 67th minute, a goal that showcased his skill as he elevated above defenders to slot the ball into the bottom right corner.
Cagliari, however, showed resilience and managed to equalize just before the end, with defender Sebastiano Luperto scoring in the 93rd minute, sending the home fans into a frenzy.
Cagliari was the more aggressive team with a total of 14 shots on goal, but they struggled to convert their chances efficiently, managing only 5 on target while 8 went wide.
Both players, Luperto and Mandragora, stood out, with Mandragora earning praises for his goal and Luperto for his crucial defensive plays along with his equalizing goal.
Cagliari’s coach, Fabio Pisacane, opted for a 4-4-2 formation, featuring Elia Caprile in goal; Gabriele Zappa, Yerry Mina, Sebastiano Luperto, and Adam Obert in defense; Alessandro Deiola, Matteo Prati, Michel Adopo, and Michael Folorunsho in midfield; and Sebastiano Esposito along with Gennaro Borrelli in the attack.
On the other hand, Fiorentina’s manager, Stefano Pioli, set his team in a 3-6-1 formation, with David De Gea as the goalkeeper; Pietro Comuzzo, Marin Pongracic, and Luca Ranieri as defenders; Dodô, Simon Sohm, Nicolò Fagioli, Robin Gosens, Cher Ndour, and Albert Gudmundsson in midfield; and Moise Kean leading the attack.
Referee Simone Sozza officiated the match.
Looking ahead, Cagliari will travel to face Napoli next, while Fiorentina will visit Torino. Currently, Cagliari sits in 5th place with 1 point, and Fiorentina follows closely in 6th, also with 1 point.
Substitutions for Cagliari
61’ – Sebastiano Esposito off for Zito Luvumbo
74’ – Alessandro Deiola off for Gianluca Gaetano
75’ – Adam Obert off for Riyad Idrissi
81’ – Gennaro Borrelli off for Semih Kilicsoy
Yellow Cards for Cagliari
43’ – Adam Obert (Unsporting behavior)
46’ – Gennaro Borrelli (Unsporting behavior)
82’ – Luca Mazzitelli (Unsporting behavior)
52’ – Semih Kilicsoy (Unsporting behavior)
Substitutions for Fiorentina
45’ – Cher Ndour off for Rolando Mandragora
45’ – Luca Ranieri off for Mattia Viti
62’ – Pietro Comuzzo off for Pablo Marí
62’ – Matteo Prati off for Luca Mazzitelli
72’ – Albert Gudmundsson off for Jacopo Fazzini
76’ – Robin Gosens off for Fabiano Parisi
Yellow Cards for Fiorentina
71’ – Marin Pongracic (Unsporting behavior)
80’ – Pablo Marí (Holding an opponent to prevent advancement)