Cagliari dreamed of a victory over Juventus that would have almost mortgaged their survival, now they have to settle for a 2-2 which leaves a lot of regret but also the demonstration of a team on its feet ( HERE IS THE MATCH REPORT )
"It's a shame, but against Juventus you can't rest easy until the referee blows the whistle," says Claudio Ranieri on the comeback suffered. With a hint of controversy for the free kick that led to the 2-1, an alleged foul on Chiesa that was much disputed on the pitch: «I would like to see it again. Nández says he didn't touch him, then only the coaches are bigger liars than the players. Anyway the barrier shouldn't have opened: it's a shame, but I always see the glass as half full."
Also because Cagliari emerged undefeated from the series of matches with Atalanta, Inter and Juventus, which were seen as very complicated. «If before this triptych they had told us that we would have scored five points I wouldn't have believed it. But we have to be careful and not give up anything." Ranieri's reference is to the play that led to Dossena's own goal: «More than anything else the lost ball, in certain cases you have to throw it away. This year we started with a handicap, we recovered in the last month and a half and we have to complete the work otherwise it won't be good. These people and these fans deserve it."
The discussion. On the pitch, before the first penalty, Gaetano and Mina argued about who he should beat. Ranieri explains: «They are both penalty takers. I told Mina that if there was a penalty he would take it, then I saw Gaetano convinced and I had faith." Overall, however, the coach is happy: «I take away the players' determination and having respected the instructions. It's one thing to try during the week, then when you have certain champions in front of you it's another. I am very satisfied with the boys' performance, disappointed because with two more points we were close even if not safe yet." The odds are 36 points, Cagliari is now at -4. «It's not that I do calculations, there are certain direct clashes and if one team takes the points, another loses them. At 36-37 we are saved, the sooner we get there the better."