Cesena and Sampdoria battled to a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Dino Manuzzi on Sunday afternoon in Serie A.
The game sprung into life in the second half as former Samp man Stefano Lucchini opened the scoring for Cesena, but a clumsy own goal from Constantin Nica meant that they only got a point.
The woodwork was hit three times during the match with the Cavallucci Marini hitting it once and the away side twice.
Here are our player ratings, let us know whether you agree or not by leaving a comment below!
Cesena
Nicola Leali – 8 – Key man
Saved his side on numerous occasions in the second half as Samp went on the hunt for a winner.
Antonio Mazzotta – 5 – Quiet
Rarely made many forward runs but dealt well with Manolo Gabbiadini.
Stefano Lucchini – 7 – Rock
Reacted well to get to the rebound first and put his team in front and also dealt well with the physical presence of Stefano Okaka.
Danielle Capelli – 6 – Outrun
Sometimes found it hard to keep up with the runs from Eder and Gabbiadini but dealt well with crosses in the box.
Gabriele Perico – 5 – Slack
Allowed Eder to get too many shots on goal which could have led to the Brazilian scoring.
Luigi Giorgi – 6 – Tireless
The midfielder worked hard to try to close down both Obiang and Palombo whilst also trying to support Hugo Almeida in attack.
Emmanuele Cascione – 6 – Unlucky
Saw his late curling free-kick crash off the bar. Worked well with his fellow midfielders on the ball and worked tirelessly off it.
Carlos Carbonero – 6 – Fast
The Colombian went on a few mazy runs but none of which led to anything.
Franco Brienza – 7.5 – Catalyst
Everything that the home side did well went through the former Atalanta man. Linked up well with Hugo Almeida and found little pockets off space effectively.
Hugo Almeida – 5 – Static
Showed some good interplay but his movement was lacking which made it more difficult to play the ball up to him.
Gregoire Defrel – 6.5 – Dangerous
The Frenchman went close with a long range effort, but also won clever free kicks in dangerous areas, one of which led to the goal.
Substitutes
Massimo Volta – 6 – Natural
The defender instantly slotted in to where Capelli left off and deflected an Obiang shot wide at the death.
Constantin Nica – 5 – Clumsy
The Romanian really should have dealt with the cross better as he tried to control but instead put it in his own net.
Milan Djuric – N/A
Sampdoria
Sergio Romero – 4.5 – Disappointing
The Argentinian shot-stopper did not have to deal with much but should have held on to Lucchini’s first effort which led to the goal.
Lorenzo De Silvestri – 5 – Uninvolved
Did not make too many of his barnstorming runs down the wing, and found it hard at times to deal with Defrel.
Matias Silvestre – 6 – Solid
Limited the service to Hugo Almeida by marking him tightly, aerial battles were tough for him though.
Daniele Gastaldello – 6 – Commanding
Showed his usual presence in defence and kept possession of the ball well.
Vasco Regini – 6 – Hardworking
Got up and down the wing well and also had an effort from the edge of the box denied by Leali.
Roberto Soriano – 6.5 – Attacking
The midfielder always looked to play the ball forwards but he did not make enough runs behind the strikers.
Pedro Obiang – 7 – Assured
The Spaniard regularly tried to open up play and off the ball was terrific too with well-timed tackles. Almost won the game for his side but his shot was deflected wide.
Angelo Palombo – 6.5 – Calm
The veteran kept things ticking for the Blucerchiati and kept possession well leading to attacks. Could have closed Brienza down better.
Manolo Gabbiadini – 6.5 – Exciting
Always looks like the youngster is going to do something when the ball is at his feet, but unfortunately nothing came from him this time.
Stefano Okaka – 6.5 – Strong
As ever the striker used his physicality to try to bring others into the game. Had a brilliant back-heeled effort saved well by Leali.
Eder – 6 – Wasteful
The Forward had plenty of shots on goal, including a free-kick that went wide and a shot that rattled the post but he should have at least netted once.
Substitutes
Gianluca Sansone – 7 – Impact
The winger made a huge impact on the game, making good dribbles and also saw his long range effort crash off the foot of the post.
Gonzalo Bergessio – 5.5 – Miss
The substitute missed the best chance of the game in the dying moments as he was put through on goal but his tame shot was closed down well by Leali.
