Cagliari beats Cosenza, but it's not enough for fourth place: preliminaries against Venice
Twenty-first goal for Lapadula: best scorer of the season
Cagliari closes the regular season with a victory in Cosenza, with the winning goal of the usual Lapadula, but will still have to play the playoff preliminaries on May 27 against Venice.
As announced in the previous day's conference, Ranieri takes the four cautioned players (Goldaniga, Makoumbou, Nandez and Luvumbo) to the bench, relaunching Altare in defense, entrusting the midfield to Kourfalidis, Deiola and Rog and with the confirmation of the Pavoletti-Lapadula couple up front . It's an immediate battle, with Zilli's left foot just wide (1') and Pavoletti's reply, who engages Micai from close range.
Cagliari takes possession of the match and goes close to scoring in the 18th minute: Azzi exchanges with Lapadula and then tries a right-footed volley, which ends just over. But in the 24th minute the goal arrives: Mancosu's cross from the right, on Pavoletti's aerial attempt half a miracle by Micai, but the ball ends up on Lapadula's head, who just needs to land on the net.
Ranieri's team nearly scored in the 35th minute, with Lapadula who, from close range, headed in to serve Pavoletti instead of going on target, but the ball was long.
Thus the first half ended 1-0 for Cagliari.
At the start of the second half, the rossoblùs try to close it, but first Lapadula (3') and then Pavoletti (4') miss the goal. In the 11th minute it was the crossbar that denied Lapadula two goals, with a header from Mancosu's cross. But in the 16th minute the crossbar saved Cagliari, on a sure shot header by D'Orazio after an empty exit by Radunovic. Ranieri runs for cover: first Luvumbo and Obert for Pavoletti and Mancosu, then Nandez and Viola for Kourfalidis and Rog. Cagliari regained control and, in the 32nd minute, almost doubled with Altare, from a corner action, with Calò saving on the line.
High Voltage Final. On the counterattack, Lapadula was freed in a shot by Luvumbo, but hit the post and then gave way to Prelec.
It ends 1-0, a victory that allows them to overcome Sudtirol, but it is Parma, thanks to direct matches, who take fourth place. Cagliari finds Venice again.
