Let those who can save themselves: Lecce can, Cagliari perhaps. A goal from Krstovic six minutes from the 90th minute gave the Apulians a fundamental point and froze Unipol Domus who were already savoring the three points. The direct clash ends 1-1 to avoid relegation at the end of a very intense and balanced match between direct reds and continuously used VAR. Mina had broken the deadlock in the 26th minute, after a goal rightly disallowed by Deiola for a handball, and Cagliari were defending with their teeth – despite having remained with ten men left from the end of the first half due to Gaetano’s expulsion – the precious advantage, before the final twist for a Lecce team who not only never gave up but who, after equalizing in the final minutes, came close to winning by hitting the posts twice, first with Baschirotto and then with Sansone and Scuffet called upon for a couple of feats before the final whistle. It ends in a draw, Lecce rises to 37 points and can say they are safe, Cagliari reaches 33 points and awaits the results of the other teams involved below.
Cagliari-Lecce, the tactical key of the match
The hosts change everything from a tactical point of view: Ranieri changes from 3-4-2-1, seen in the previous match against Genoa, to 4-4-2 which ensures greater stability in the defensive phase. Luvumbo he is deployed in the winger position left midfielder, to push quickly on the wing, and flanks the two attackers. Also the Gotti’s Lecce sides with the mirror 4-4-2 with Dorgu and Oudin on the wings and the pair of central defenders in attack Piccoli and Krstovic. Ramadani also returns to the midfield for the Giallorossi with Blin at his side.
The Sardinians play centrally but find great compactness from Lecce and consequently try to get more ideas forward by making greater use of the work of the external lanes. The Giallorossi set up the game from below but suffer very high pressure from Cagliari which attempts to close the passageways.
After Gaetano’s direct expulsion at the end of the first half, Ranieri overturns the Cagliari and arranges it with the 5-3-1: Zappa leaves, Wieteska returns to the three central defense with Nandez going to the right fifth And Augello the fifth from the left. Lecce dominated the game in the second half until they improved to the point of finding an equalizer and even coming close to winning.
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The tops and flops of Cagliari
- Mina 7.5 ‘Yerry, Yerry, Yerry’. He is highly acclaimed by the fans after the very heavy goal, as a true center forward, who unlocks the match in the 26th minute from a free kick: he takes advantage of a low ball and with his right flat beats Falcone from close range.
- Scuffet 7. Decisive in the hot moments of the match, with the help of the posts and with some of his exploits he avoided the knockout of his team
- Deiola 6.5. He had broken the deadlock in the 16th minute when he managed to recover the ball from Pongracic and shoot from distance, finding a winning deflection, but VAR canceled everything due to his handball while winning the ball. Booked late in the match.
- Nandez 6. In the first half he pushes more, in the second he is forced to lower himself more as the fifth right back. Well in the hedging phase.
- Luvumbo 5.5. He plays on the left flank as an outside midfielder but shines most in the offensive phase when he attacks deep, attempts a play or cross towards the center of the area.
- Gaetano 5. He also managed to make an assist for Mina but, at the end of the first half, he entered the midfield in a disorderly manner and after a careful VAR review it was a straight red for the former Napoli player.
The tops and flops of Lecce
- Krstovic 7. At the end of the match he takes advantage of a ball from Almqvist that cuts across the entire area and scores the equalizer.
- Blin 6.5.He completed the most tackles in the match (42) proving to be an impassable barrier in midfield.
- Almqvist 6.5. He entered in the 72nd minute with the right attitude, at the end of the match he entered the area from the right and served a sharp assist that was so perfect for Krstovic that he couldn’t make a mistake.
- Ramadan 6. His return to the field after almost a month was positive: he managed to ensure good performance and compactness in the midfield.
- Dorgu 6. He pushes but not enough in the offensive phase, he plays from the left side but doesn’t make himself particularly dangerous.
- Rooster 6. Creates the most chances (2) in the match through his crosses from the wing.
- Baschirotto 6. In the 86th minute he had a sensational opportunity to score and win the match with his header which hit the post.
- Oudin 5.5. A few dangerous crosses and nothing more, far from goal. Out after 71 minutes.
- Small 5. Late intervention on Mina which costs him a warning and disqualification for the next round of the championship in the match against Udinese. Throughout the match he remains insignificant up front and fails to exploit the few dangerous balls he has available.
Cagliari-Lecce: the match scoreboard
CAGLIARI (4-4-2): Scuffet; Zappa (46′ Wieteska), Mina, Dossena, Augello (77′ Azzi); Nandez (90+1′ Obert), Makoumbou, Deiola, Luvumbo (67′ Shomurodov); Gaetano, Lapadula (46′ Sulemana). Available Radunovic, Aresti, Prati, Hatzidiakos, Oristanio, Pavoletti, Petagna, Kingstone, Di Pardo. All. Claudio Ranieri.
LECCE (4-4-2): Falcone; Gendrey, Baschirotto, Pongracic, Gallo; Oudin (72′ Almqvist), Blin, Ramadani (72′ Rafia), Dorgu (59′ Pierotti); Krstovic, Piccoli (46′ Sansone). Available Brancolini, Samooja, Borbei, Venuti, Gonzalez, Berisha, Touba. All. Luca Gotti.
REFEREE: Marcenaro of Genoa.
NETWORKS: 26′ Mina (C), 84′ Krstovic (L)
NOTE: Warned Scuffet, Nandez, Deiola (C), Piccoli, Sansone, Ramadani, Baschirotto (L); expelled Gaetano (C) in the 44th minute due to a serious foul.
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