Cagliari wins the Gigi Riva Trophy by overcoming the Saint-Étienne. A masterpiece goal by Adopo and an exciting atmosphere scored the first edition of the trophy dedicated to the rossoblù myth.
Cagliari won the first edition of the Gigi Riva Trophy, an event full of meaning and emotion, overcoming the Saint-Étienne with the result of 1-0. The game, played in a deep memory atmosphere for the rossoblù myth, saw the Sardinians prevail thanks to a splendid goal by Michel Adop in the first half.
The initial choices and the tribute to the myth
For the first edition of the Gigi Riva Trophy, Cagliari has deployed a formation that has seen players such as Adopo, Mina, Deiola, Piccoli, Luvumbo, Mina and Felici, with Caprile in defense of the Porta, protagonists from the first stakes. On the opposite front, the Saint-Étienne replied with a 11 that included Lamba, Boakye, Cardona and Larsonneur between the poles. The game offered the opportunity for both coaches to evaluate the state of form of their own and to experience game dynamics in view of future commitments, with a particular eye to the management of the rhythms and the reactivity of the individuals. A moment of great emotion interrupted the game in the twelfth minute, when the entire stadium, including the players, paid a long applause to Gigi Riva, while the North curve planted a choir dedicated to the myth.
The first half: the masterpiece of Adopo and the missed opportunities
The beginning of the race saw Cagliari immediately proactive, with the Adopo that at 5 ‘he attempted a conclusion in the fray, promptly blocked by the opposing defense. Shortly thereafter, at 10 ‘, Lamba sought the head of the head goal on the corner, but Caprile intercepted without difficulty. A moment of apprehension for the Saint-Étienne occurred at 12 ‘, when Bernauer had to leave the field for an injury to his right thigh, being replaced by Nadé. The rossoblù advantage reaches 20 ‘: Deiola does not arrive on a cross from the right, but the rebound on Nadé serves the ball to Adopo, which with ample space available places a soft left at the crossroads of the posts, creating a network of valuable workmanship. The midfielder had already distinguished himself with a goal against Galatasaray ten days earlier. The French reaction reaches 26 ‘, with a right on the fly of Boakye on the corner that turns off wide. Cagliari touched the doubling at 35 ‘with Piccoli, launched in depth, whose shot on the first post was rejected by Larsonneur. Towards the end of the first half, Piccoli remained on the ground after a fortuitous contrast. Once the game has taken, Caprile denied the draw to Cardona with a parade on a shot to cross. Cagliari’s reply, with Luvumbo who served Deiola, whose right was deflected in the corner.
The recovery and management of the advantage
The recovery began without changes to the formations. At 50 ‘Duffus exceeded Mina on the left wing, but his conclusion broke off the outside of the net. At 57 ‘, Luvumbo remained on the ground after a hard intervention of Traoré to the left ankle. A dangerous opportunity for Cagliari showed up four minutes later on a corner kick. Deiola spied the ball and Nadé risked his own goal, with Larsonneur who made a flicker to deviate above the crossbar. At 64 ‘the first replacements of the Saint-Étienne: Miladinović, El Jamali and Old in place of Moueffek, Duffus and Cardona. Cagliari also started its replacements, with Vinciguerra, Pintus and a warmly applauded Borrelli who detected Luvumbo, Mina and Felici. At 77 ‘Luperto engaged Larsonneur with a head -on -headed turn. In the last ten minutes, Cagliari has operated on further changes, with Rog, Idrissi and Liteta who took the place of Prati, Obert and Deiola. Rog, with a nice starting point, caused Jaber’s warning. The last replacement before the final whistle saw the Pardo take over to Zappa. At the triple whistle Cagliari raised the Gigi Riva trophy, sealing a day of sport and memory in the best way.