Cagliari secured their first win of this Serie A season. The Rossoblù beat Parma 2-0, with goals from Mina and Felici: a match in which Pisacane's team struggled greatly, but managed to secure a crucial victory.
The Rossoblù took to the field wearing their new fourth jersey, unveiled yesterday , and a 4-3-2-1 formation with Gaetano and Esposito behind Belotti. Parma had the first big chance (a double): in the 8th minute, Mina's mistake caused Pellegrino to race forward, but his shot was blocked by Caprile, who produced a miracle save from Cutrone's sure-fire rebound .
Cagliari suffered under Parma's high pressing and rarely managed to get past the midfield, at least for the first half hour. Cutrone almost scored a goal in the 20th minute, hitting a cross from the right by Løvik in the center of the area with his face and sending the ball wide. After a nearly three-minute cooling-off period (necessary, given the scorching heat at Unipol Domus), Parma threatened again: in the 30th minute, Adopo lost the ball, Bernabé skipped past Prati and passed Cutrone on the right for a shot at the near post, well-defended by Caprile, who saved in two stages .
Gaetano made his presence felt in the 33rd minute, with a right-footed shot from the edge of the box that was deflected for a corner. The shot was blocked by the visiting defense, Obert played it to the far post for Belotti to head in the six-yard box, Suzuki fumbled it, and Mina tapped in the rebound to make it 1-0 in the 33rd minute . This was the Colombian's second goal of the week, following his 3-6 win in Venezuela-Colombia on Tuesday night in the World Cup qualifiers. At the end of the half (42nd minute), Cutrone had two attempts after a mistake by Adopo, but the Cagliari defense held him back.
The restart features the former Oristanio player for Parma's already booked Ordóñez. In the 51st minute, a free kick from the left is headed by Ndiaye, who deflects it off Luperto (with his arm, but not punishable, as he's checked), and Caprile taps it in for a corner. Cagliari has a good move in the 53rd minute, with Esposito passing it to the right for Gaetano, who beats Sørensen and shoots just wide. Immediately afterward, the number 10 comes off to make way for Deiola, as does Zappa (already booked, having risked a few minutes earlier) for Palestra . As the restart begins, Belotti has a chance, entering the box from the right, and his shot is deflected, making it easy for Caprile to save.
Cutrone remains Parma's most dangerous player: in the 57th minute, he heads a cross from the right into the center of the area, but the ball goes just wide. A few minutes later, with Almqvist coming on for Løvik, the ball is played to the center-right for Bernabé, and he curls his left-footed shot just over. Cutrone is back in the 70th minute, latching onto a low cross from Valeri from the left and finishing low, but Caprile saves. A minute later, the former Oristanio player has a golden opportunity: Almqvist makes a brilliant run down the right past Obert, crosses in, and the playmaker controls it at the penalty spot for a right-footed shot that hits the crossbar .
Pisacane removed the exhausted strikers Belotti and Esposito for Borrelli and Felici. The substitutes made an immediate impact: in the 77th minute, Palestra made a splendid move, beating two players, one with a nutmeg, and feeding Borrelli on the right. Borrelli then played it to the onrushing Adopo, whose shot from a tight angle hit the post. Felici was the first to respond to the rebound, firing a low shot into the back of the net to make it 2-0 . Parma tried everything in the closing stages, bringing on Djurić and Keita, while Pisacane gave Zé Pedro his debut, replacing the much-lauded Folorunsho. Seven minutes of injury time did not change the story: Cagliari's first win of this Serie A season.