Empoli continues to amaze. After beating Roma at the Olimpico and stopping Bologna and Juventus, they also conquered (0-2) Cagliari and for a few hours enjoyed an unexpected second place in the standings. For the Sardinians, the third defeat in a row sounds like an alarm bell: they have scored just 1 goal in 5 games, the last one 316′ ago, and have conceded 6 in the last 2. A sign that more than one thing is wrong with Nicola’s team, who left the field amidst some boos from the crowd. A situation that has led the club to send the team into retreat. “I would like the team to go into retreat. This will happen tomorrow”, announced president Tommaso Giulini.
«The race report»
Boring match in the first half hour
Slow pace and few chances at the start. Pezzella kicks and hits the outside of the net, on the opposite side Vasquez makes a bad exit but Esposito gets there before Deiola at the most beautiful moment and saves the result. This and little else in the first half hour of the match in which Cagliari has possession of the ball, albeit sterile, and Empoli defends itself, still giving the impression of being dangerous.
Colombo breaks the deadlock
The Tuscan threat suddenly becomes concrete in the 33rd minute when the guests take the lead with a beautiful vertical action: Esposito, Henderson and then Anjorin passes to Colombo, kept in play by Makoumbou, who finds himself one-on-one with Scuffet and beats him with a nice diagonal. The reaction of the home team is not long in coming. A providential low exit by Vasquez on Luvumbo, then Luperto heads, but sends it high. The Empoli goalkeeper returns to the fore with a super save on a shot from Deiola that was sure to hit the centre of the area. A possible goal would have been the subject of analysis by the VAR anyway because the action seemed to be tainted by a previous foul by Piccoli on Ismajli, also spotted by referee Sozza.
Esposito doubles, Gaetano not enough to revive Cagliari
At the start of the second half, Nicola immediately plays the Pavoletti card and tries with the three strikers, but it is the Azzurri who score again: Scuffet blocks a shot from Esposito, but the attacker pounces on the rebound, anticipating Augello, and pierces the opposing goalkeeper after also having made Luperto sit down. A cold shower for the ambitions of a disoriented Cagliari that is not scary with a high attempt from Luvumbo and has to wait for the entrance of Gaetano to come close to scoring with the beautiful acrobatic turn of the former Napoli player, which ends up just over the crossbar. In the final moments, Cacace’s 3-0 is disallowed for offside by Esposito, while Esposito himself comes close to scoring a personal brace and Empoli’s third with a missile that ends not far from the post to the left of Scuffet. Cagliari tries generously until the end of the minutes of injury time, but the result does not change thanks to Vasquez who once again opposes Gaetano.
CAGLIARI-EMPOLI 0-2 (0-1)
Cagliari (3-5-2): Scuffet 6; Zappa 5.5, Mina 6, Luperto 5; Zortea 5, Makoumbou 4.5 (1’st Pavoletti 5.5), Marin 6 (26’st Gaetano 6.5), Deiola 6, Augello 5 (15’st Azzi 6); Luvumbo 5.5 (15’st Viola 6), Piccoli 5.5 (30’st Lapadula 5.5). On the bench: Ciocci, Sherri, Wieteska, Palomino, Obert, Jankte, Felici, Adopo, Mutandwa. Coach: Nicola.
Empoli (3-4-2-1): Vasquez 7; Goglichidze 6.5, Ismajli 6.5, Viti 6.5; Gyasi 6 (45’st De Sciglio n/a), Anjorin 6.5 (13’st Haas 6), Grassi 6 (28’st Cacace 6), Pezzella 7; Colombo 7 (28’st Solbakken 6), Henderson 6; Esposito 7.5 (45’st Pellegri n/a). On the bench: Seghetti, Brancolini, Sambia, Ekong, Tosto, Marinucci, Konate. Coach: D’Aversa.
Referee: Seregno filth.
Rarely: 33’pt Colombo, 4’st Esposito.
Ammonites: Colombo, Gyasi, Pavoletti.
Corners: 10-4.
Recovery: 1’pt, 5’st.
#CagliariEmpoli #goals #Colombo #Esposito #Sardinians #trouble #retreat
– 2024-09-21 02:47:55
