Napoli and Cagliari played out a remarkable 3-3 in Serie A at Stadio San Paolo on Sunday afternoon.
First half goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Gokhan Inler seemingly had the Partenopei in the driving seat before Victor Ibarbo reduced the arrears before the interval.
A second half brace from Cagliari’s Denis Farias either side of Jonathan de Guzman’s header ensured that both sides earned a share of the spoils in an exciting affair
Agree with our ratings? Have your say in the comments below.
Napoli
Rafael Cabral – 5.5 – Blameless
Will be disappointed to have conceded three through little fault of his own as all the goals came from close range.
Christian Maggio – 6 – Tireless
Tireless down the right flank, providing the perfect cross for de Guzman to head home, was let down by his centre backs.
Henrique – 5 – Suspect
Looked uncomfortable at the heart of the defence and always looked ill at ease with the likes of Farias running at him.
Kalidou Koulibaly – 4.5 – Poor
Sloppy in possession, his error directly led to third Cagliari goal.
Faouzi Ghoulam – 6.5 – Quick-thinking
His quickly taken thrown-in played in Higuain for the first goal, solid in defence with a goal saving last man tackle.
Walter Gargano – 5.5 – Unconvincing
Sat in midfield, attempting to shield the back four but failed. Even less convincing in attack.
Gokhan Inler – 6.5 – Solid
Scored with a cracking long range drive and took command of the midfield in the first half, fell away after the break before being replaced by Lopez.
Jose Callejon – 5.5 – Pacey
His pace occasionally provided problems for the Cagliari defence, but was not consistent enough throughout.
Marek Hamsik – 5.5 – Underwhelming
Another underwhelming performance from the captain in what has been a poor season by his high standards.
Jonathan de Guzman – 6.5 – Efficient
An unspectacular outing for the Dutch until he headed home Maggio’s cross convincingly, looked much more lively in the second half.
Gonzalo Higuain – 6.5 – Inconsistent
Opened the scoring with a composed finish, looked dangerous but couldn’t find the right ball or finish and drifted into anonymity as the game went on.
Substitutes
David Lopez – 5.5 – Continuation
Replaced the tiring Inler producing a similar performace, came close to finding a winner with a low effort from distance that went inches wide.
Miguel Britos – N/A
Came on for de Guzman, had no impact on the game at all.
Cagliari
Alessio Cragno – 5.5 – Shaky
Had little chance with Higuain’s strike, looked disappointed not to have kept out Inler’s drive after keeping out de Guzman.
Antonio Balzano – 6.5 – Threatening
Showed purpose going forwards and assisted Ibarbo’s goal, less convincing defensively but still the pick of the visitor’s defence.
Luca Ceppitelli – 5.5 – Unsettled
Wasted a glorious headed chance, but like every other centre back on the pitch, was defensively a mess.
Luca Rossettini – 5.5 – Lacking
Easily beaten by Higuain for the opener after being caught out by Ghoulam’s quick throw. His header allowed Farias to score, not good enough in defence.
Francesco Pisano – 5.5 – Zero-impact
Struggled to contain de Guzman and rarely had the opportunity to impose himself further up the pitch.
Daniele Dessena – 6 – Unspectacular
A quiet game from the midfielder before being replaced by Donsah late on.
Lorenzo Crisetig – 6 – Quiet
Saw more of the ball than any of his team-mates, but hardly used it with any purpose.
Albin Ekdal – 6 – Pressing
Completed much unheralded work in the centre of the park pressuring the Partenopei midfield.
Victor Ibarbo – 6.5 – Menacing
Cagliari’s biggest threat and showed real composure in his goal. Outwitted Koulibaly to assist Farias’ second goal.
Andrea Cossu – 5.5 – Invisible
Of the front three, he was the only one to have zero impact on the game.
Diego Farias – 7 – Clinical
Provided spark and invention to keep Maggio honest and played a role in Ibarbo’s strike. Levelled the scores with a close range header and tapping in from close range.
Substitutes
Gonfred Donsah – 6 – Silent
Replaced the quiet Dessena and he continued in a similar way.
Marco Capuano – N/A
Came on for Pisano with little effect.
Caio Rangel – N/A
A late change for Ibarbo.
