Cagliari's first friendly in Santander against Racing ended 0-0 . At the El Astillero sports ground, a slow-paced match saw the Rossoblu get some minutes in their legs a week before their official Coppa Italia debut (tonight at 8:30 PM, Virtus Entella plays Ternana). Pisacane rested virtually all the key players, who will be available at 7:00 PM for the other match against Racing, also scheduled for El Sardinero, the first team's stadium.
At the end of a first half lacking in drama (only a Zappa header was saved by goalkeeper Andreev in the 18th minute), Zappa and Borrelli engaged in a head-to-head clash in midfield. The attacker came off worse, down for three minutes before returning to the pitch.
At the start of the second half, in the 53rd minute, a two-on-one counterattack ensued, but Mantilla managed to intercept Rog's pass (he played 65 minutes at a decent pace before making way for Cavuoti) to Felici. The match continued without much momentum, with Pisacane switching the attacking pairing in the 77th minute, bringing on Bolzan and Vinciguerra for Borrelli and Felici. Racing made its presence felt in the 83rd minute, with Sangalli's volley blocked by Ciocci. Two minutes later, Vinciguerra, picked out in the center, fired just wide from the edge of the area with his right foot. At the final whistle, the Spanish fans celebrated their arrival on the pitch.
Cagliari started with a 3-5-1-1 formation: Ciocci; Cogoni, Deiola, Veroli; Di Pardo, Liteta, Mazzitelli, Rog, Zappa; Felici; and Borrelli.
