Cagliari closes its terrifying 2022 with a smile. The rossoblùs beat Cosenza 2-0 with goals from Lapadula and Lella and arrive at the halfway point with 25 points.
On the bench, waiting for Ranieri, Muzzi stayed at home with renal colic and then it was the turn of former defender Pisacane, now a technical collaborator. Surprisingly, Dossena beat the competition to support Obert in central defence, while up front Luvumbo was preferred to Pavoletti. It starts with the emotion of the whole stadium, at the moment of remembering Fabian O'Neill, who passed away on Christmas day. Ready, go and Cagliari closes Cosenza in their own half, collecting corners, but without being too dangerous.
The first real thrill comes in the 20th minute, when Falco closes a personal initiative with a left footed shot on the inside of the post to Marson's right. Cosenza is all about long balls for the former Larrivey, but he's not in too much danger. Indeed, in the 44th minute it was precisely the Calabrians who showed up in the Cagliari area, with a right foot from Brescianini that Radunovic blocked without difficulty. Not even the 6 minutes of added time serve to unlock the match, with the first half ending on 0-0.
In the second half, after 3', thrills in the rossoblù area, with Radunovic saving from Rispoli's close overhead kick. The reply in the 7th minute is from Falco, whose left-footed shot sends Marson flying from the edge.
In the 19th minute Pisacane fielded Pavoletti in place of an evanescent Luvumbo and, after a minute, from a corner by Kourfalidis, Lapadula's head popped up to unlock the score. The advantage rewards Cagliari, which keeps a bang on Cosenza's reaction. In the 40th minute, Vaisanen touched the post with a header, but in the 41st minute Lella took care of it, on the side of Lapadula, to close it with a precise right from the edge.
The 2-0 is also the final result, a victory that prepares the ground for the second round with Ranieri on the bench.