Cagliari suffered a defeat in their second pre-season friendly. In Linz, Austria, Fabio Pisacane's team lost 3-1 to reigning Turkish champions Galatasaray: Adopo's early goal wasn't enough. The Rossoblu debuted their new home jersey, unveiled today .
Cagliari started with a 3-5-2 formation: Caprile; Wieteska, Deiola, Obert; Zappa, Adopo, Liteta, Prati, Zortea; Piccoli, Luvumbo . Galatasaray's first big chance came in the 8th minute, with Kutlu receiving the ball from the left on the edge of the box and shooting, but Caprile did well to tip it out for a corner. From the corner, Lemina headed the ball in at the near post, and the Rossoblu goalkeeper did a fantastic job clearing it.
Cagliari responded in the 15th minute, with Piccoli running forward and passing to Luvumbo, whose shot was saved by Günay. The move continued, and Zortea, from the left, reached the byline and crossed with the outside of the foot for Adopo to head home in the six-yard box: 0-1, thanks to a fine team effort from Pisacane's team .
But it's a lead that doesn't last long, because within five minutes Galatasaray has equalized. Following a cross from the left by Jakobs, former Palermo player Sallai turns with his left foot in the center of the area, and this time Caprile only manages to tap it in, but the ball goes between his legs and into the net . In the 27th minute, a free kick from the left is deflected by former Sassuolo player Kaan Ayhan, who saves Caprile.
Galatasaray turned the tide on the half-hour mark, with Deiola and Zappa hesitating to favor Jakobs on the left, who then passed to the center where Yılmaz easily tapped in to make it 2-1 . Cagliari could have equalized before halftime, but a powerful left-footed shot from Luvumbo (who was good at cutting inside, skipping past an opponent) hit the post in the 40th minute.
In the second half, Radunović replaced Caprile (Cagliari's only substitution), but his game lasted just two and a half minutes, as he felt pain in his left leg during a defensive pass and asked to be substituted . Iliev, who joined the squad on Sunday, came on. They conceded the 3-1 lead in the 58th minute, with Arda Ünyay heading in a free kick from the right by former Palermo player Sallai.
In the 64th minute, Galatasaray made a series of substitutions, including the introduction of Álvaro Morata, who awaits the green light to return to Serie A (against Como). Then, in the 71st minute, space was given to Vinciguerra, Di Pardo, Borrelli, and Rog, and in the 78th minute, Felici and Idrissi. The latter, two minutes after coming on, was launched down the left with plenty of space to spare, and attempted to pass to Borrelli, but a deflection off an opponent sent the ball out for a corner . Pintus and Cavuoti played the final seven minutes, with the match ending without injury time.