Rossoblù landslide on Zanetti’s team. At the Domus Unipol ends 4-0. Third consecutive victory for Pisacane’s men. Gialloblù last and increasingly in crisis
Kilicsoy’s overhead kick is worth double: it explains how Cagliari won and also tells you about his life, turned upside down in the space of forty days. Until mid-December he had played maybe 80 minutes in six stretches, now he finds himself celebrating with arms wide under a curve that is now crazy about him. Normal when you score a goal on an overhead kick – the fourth in the league – and grab another three points towards a safety now channeled on the right tracks. Cagliari won a match without history 4-0, the third in a row after Juve and Fiorentina, and are now looking at the left side of the table with optimism. Then four different scorers: Mazzitelli, Kilicsoy, Sulemana and Idrissi. Hellas, however, leaves Sardinia in the rain and with their eighth match in a row without success, moreover with ten men due to Sarr’s expulsion. Now Zanetti’s adventure seems over.
YEZ GENERATIONS
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Cagliari’s three goals are the mirror of what Pisacane is asking of his handful of Generation Z kids, with the intrusion of some Millennials. He is studying them thoroughly, while they are understanding him, as evidenced by the action of the first goal. Three protagonists: the first was Palestra, winger of a 4-2-4 in the attacking phase. He aimed at Frese and Valentini, skipped over them both with ease – physical, strength – and then served the ball to the center. Obert, the second protagonist, cleared Mazzitelli with his heel, sending Verona out of gear. Luca is the man with heavy goals. He had also scored against Juventus.
KILICSOY, CHAPEAU
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Kilicsoy, however, had scratched Pisa, Turin and Fiorentina. Four goals in forty days. All decisive. With the last one he decided to rummage through his bedroom drawer and bring out his lifelong dream: to score an overhead kick goal. Coordination like Carlo Parola, the Panini frontman, level coordination and execution: Esposito’s ball was high and went straight down. He stuck it on the shelf at home like a postcard (and after the check, Bonacina initially disallowed it for offside). Standing ovation deserved. Pavoletti gave him his jacket. As if he wanted to say “bomber, all deserved”. In the second half Cagliari spread with Sulemana and Idrissi, who were good at being in the right place at the right time.
THE KEY: AFTER POINT
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Easy to read match: Cagliari, with the exception of the first quarter of an hour, built the victory by leveraging transitions and fluid, hybrid play, where the key was the number 8. Afterwards, a raiding profession, he played a match as an all-rounder starting as an added striker, alongside Kilicsoy. This is the tactical key to overcoming Hellas’ high pressing, which however did not last long. Adopo was everywhere and was useful in every phase: he recovered balls by starting some actions – above all one with Esposito, who then kicked high from the edge of the area – and bludgeoning in defence. In the second half he served a nice ball to Luperto, who was neutralized by an extension from Perilli. Pisacane, a clever strategist, understood that to get the three points he would have to widen Hellas’ shirts more than necessary, with Adopo, serving Palestra on the run and releasing Obert on the left (several descents on his part). Last note: Cagliari won the third game in a row with the same formation, a 4-3-3 which becomes a 4-2-4 in the attacking phase.
VERONA: THIS IS HOW IT GOES DOWN
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The summary of the Verona match can be translated into a number: 0.46. The expected goals with which he ended the match. Caprile was involved in only one occasion, a right-footed shot from Mosquera deflected for a corner, then stopped. Mitigating? Sarr’s expulsion for a double yellow (two interventions without logic). Zanetti – who lost Gagliardini to injury after half an hour, Lovric’s debut – was forced to play almost the entire second half with ten men. Difficult to produce, but in the first half he only worried the Sardinians twice, and badly. Now reflections: the last victory was on December 14th, Hellas is last. Zanetti is in the balance.
the match
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Salvation challenge at the Unipol Domus. Fabio Pisacane’s Cagliari is coming off two victories against Juventus and Fiorentina, which brought their points haul to 25. Far from the red zone. Paolo Zanetti’s Verona, on the other hand, is last with 14 points and has not won since December 14th against Fiorentina.
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