It could have been a Christmas with a win for Cagliari, who overcame a difficult first half with a spirited second half, but instead Pisa snatched a 2-2 draw in the 89th minute . A draw that left Fabio Pisacane and his team with a bitter taste in their mouths: "It's a shame, because in the last three home games we've thrown away four points," said the coach after the match. "A team like ours can't afford that; we need to be a bit more cunning and understand that the game is over without always aiming to be beautiful."
Pisacane had made the right initial choice, launching Semih Kılıçsoy from the start, who scored his first Serie A goal for Cagliari. "I tried to wait for him, and today the conditions were created to include him from the start. I'm pleased and happy for the boy: he's worked quietly, it's not easy coming from another country and another culture . Time is a gentleman, and Semih has been rewarded." The other was Juan Rodríguez, once again chosen over Luperto: "He's a strong player, a guy who also played a great game today. My choice was purely a technical one, I'm happy because he's improving so much with each game."
Pisacane's assessment of the match was two-faced. "In the first half, Cagliari was below par, even though we had a few shots. We struggled with set pieces and depth, because we didn't have much control in midfield. In the second half, the team definitely improved in fitness: it's a shame, because we can't throw away two points like we did today ."
Pisacane wasn't happy with the first half: "I try to analyze the game from every angle. We had two deadly chances in transition where they hurt us in depth, there was a clearance by Obert that opened the door for Pisa. Then, every time they took a corner, you had the feeling they were hurting us." The second half was better: "After Mina's yellow was removed, Pisa only created chances in the final minutes. We were in control, and it's disappointing for the goal. We pay for being too naive in certain situations."
During today's match, Pisacane had to make several substitutions for Cagliari. "Obert, for the first time this season, was underperforming, and I took him off at halftime. Then we switched to a 4-3-3 with Palestra further forward and Zappa in behind. At the end, I brought on Cavuoti to contain and Borrelli to keep the ball. To win the match today, we needed to bring in certain characteristics: clearly, we're not ready from that point of view yet ."
Gaetano has made a great comeback in the last month: "We've seen him grow, he paid the price for missing the training camp, but for now, that's water under the bridge. I think he could be the man for the second half of the season: he's been out for so many games, a player with his talent can be a key asset." Meanwhile, Luperto seems to be out of Pisacane's plans: "You'll have to ask Angelozzi any questions about the transfer market. My choice was a technical one because I wanted a player with different characteristics than Mina."