A wonderful penalty save by Mattia Perin has salvaged a draw for a 10-men Genoa against Cagliari, with the match finishing 1-1 in Sardenia.
Diego Farias opened the scoring for the home side after beating the offside trap to turn Perin and tap home the winner, but the young goalkeeper made amends with a superb stop late in the second half.
Stefano Stuaro was sent off for Genoa after receving his second yellow card, leaving Danilo Avelar to take the decisive penalty, which the Brazillian missed.
Cagliari
Alessio Cragno – 6 – Promising
Made a couple of notable saves in the first half and had the woodwork to thank on the odd occasion. Was powerless to stop the own-goal.
Antonio Balzano – 6 – Solid
Solid on the right hand side of defence.
Luca Ceppitelli – 6.5 – Assured
Looked assured in defence and may be a find for the home side. Seemed comfortable on the ball and held position.
Luca Rossettini – 5 – Topsy-turvy
Delightful ball to set up Farias for the opener, popping it over the defence and breaking the offside trap. Went from hero to villain after knocking the ball into his own net to level the scores.
Danilo Avelar – 5.5 – Disappointed
Accomplished down the left flank and found the right balance between attack and defence. Missed the crucial penalty which Perin saved.
Joao Pedro – 5.5 – Reasonable
Constant presence in midfield for the home side. Withdrawn late for Dessena.
Daniele Conti – 6.5 – Buzzing
Cautioned for a solid tackle on Perotti and took no prisoners in midfield. Hit the woodwork from a freekick late in the first half, and moments later was brought down by Stuaro to be awarded a penalty.
Albin Ekdal – 6 – Calm
Had a great chance to make it 2-0 late in the first half but saw his left footed strike glance just over the crossbar. Substituted out with 10 minutes to play for Donash.
Diego Farias – 7.5 – Menace
Opened the scoring by knocking the ball into an open net after some calamitous Genoa defending and a misjudgment by Perin. Was a constant menace running at the slow Genoa defence.
Marco Sau – 6.5 – Threat
His movement worried the Genoa defence in the first half, with Cagliari dangerous on the counter attack. A constant threat but perhaps could have done better with his first touch on a few occasions. Had to be taken off injured late in the game with his side out of substitutions.
Andrea Cossu – 6.5 – Excellent
Pacey on the wing and flashy at times, spotted out by the Cagliari defence with the long diagonal ball which worked well. Withdrawn for Longo in the 63rd minute.
Substitutes:
Samuele Longo – 3 – Poor
Introduced in the second half for Cossu to provide a more central target for the home side. Extremely poor miss with the rebound following Avelar’s penalty.
Daniele Dessena – N/A
Came on late for Joao Pedro.
Godfred Donash – N/A
Introduced for Ekdal with 10 minutes to play.
Genoa
Mattia Perin – 7 – Redeeming
Poor judgement by the talented keeper which saw Farias turn him and open the scoring. Made a few important saves thereafter, one of them being Avelar’s penalty kick which was enormous for the visitors.
Giovani Marchese – 4.5 – Poor
Very poor defending for the first goal and failed to communicate effectively with his keeper. Taken off shortly after half-time through injury.
Nicolas Burdisso – 5 – Slow
Hurt for pace against the Cagliari attack and particuarly their wingers. Was often caught out of position when the opposition broke on the counter.
Facundo Roncaglia – 5 – Average
Like his defensive counterparts, was often caught out for pace agains the home wingers and was not assured on the ball.
Luca Antonelli – 5.5 – Unfocused
Was not dynamic enough going forward for the visitors, but sent some promising crosses into the box at times. Booked for simulation late in the first half. Did well to track back and help out the defence in crucial moments.
Andrea Bertolacci – 6 – Busy
Kept things moving in midfield without starring for the visitors.
Stefano Stuaro – 4 – Villain
Came off worse for wear after a clash of heads in the first half, but battled on resolutely in midfield. Sent off after receiving his second yellow card at the 75th minute mark for a challenge on Conti in the box, which led to a penalty which Perin saved.
Edenilson – 5 – Panicked
Cautioned early with a panic tackle on Sau. Looked unsettled in the right wing-back position.
Juraj Kucka – 5 – Okay
Hit the crossbar early on with a pile-driving effort from outside the box. Had another great chance at goal late in the first half but was saved just in time by Cragno. Withdrawn after half-time for Lestienne.
Mauricio Pinilla – 5.5 – Pressing
Rattled Cragno early with a stunning overhead effort. Grew into the game in the second half as his side pressed.
Diego Perotti – 6.5 – Emerged
Seemed subdued at times when attacking, and did not have the confidence to take on defenders in the first half. Came out in the second half with a bit more impetus switching to the left-flank and it was his attacking movement and cross that led to the own-goal. Was much more dangerous.
Substitutes:
Maxime Lestienne – 4 – Ordinary
Came on at half-time for Kucka. Had a wonderful chance to put his side ahead in the second half but screwed his effort wide across goal.
Leandro Greco – 4 – Respectable
Replaced the injured Marchese shortly after the main break. Performed ok for the remainder of the half.
Armando Izzo – N/A
Came on late for Pinilla.
