Cagliari defeated Fiorentina 3-1 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday evening in Serie A.
The visitors took the lead in the seventh minute with Duje Cop scoring his second Serie A goal, followed by a third in the 59th minute.
The home side were incapable of scoring more than one, and only managed one it Alberto Gilardino. Cagliari then found a lot of space for counter-attacks, as the home side pressed heavily, and exploited it in stoppage time, with Diego Farias completing his fantastic performance with a quality goal.
After a rather dull five opening minutes it were the visitors who had the first chance of the game, with Albin Ekdal’s shot parried easily by Neto.
But Cagliari continued to cause Fiorentina’s defence big problems and it was Cop who opened the scoring of the match, tapping in Farias’ cross easily.
La Viola, however, remained somewhat helpless in the offensive phase of the game throughout the following minutes and could have capitalised again in the 17th minute, had it not been for Neto, who managed to make a fine fingertip save against the Brazilian, Farias.
The Egyptian sensation Mohamed Salah had an opportunity to equalise after a big mistake from Cagliari goalkeeper Brkic, who misjudged Manuel Pasqual’s cross in to the box, but his header just hit the side of the net.
In the 30th minute, the goalscorer Cop could have added his second of the game, being clear on goal after a fantastic pass from M’Poku, but he reprehensibly missed the goal.
Two minutes later it could have been levelled. Pasqual sent a fine cross in to the six-yard-box, but Gilardino’s header went just wide.
However, the biggest chance of the home side arrived in stoppage time of the first half, when Alessandro Diamanti’s low-driven shot off a Nenad Tomovic pass missed the goal narrowly, leaving the result 0-1 for the Isolani at half time.
Ten minutes in to the second half and Fiorentina looked unchanged compared to a dull first half, but Alberto Gilardino was the first to somehow entertain the Stadio Artemio Franchi, sending a header off a Vargas cross right into Brkic’s hands.
The home side’s impotence was, however, punished in the 60th minute, when the goalscorer Cop combined well with Farias and with a quality finish sent the ball in to the net of a helpless Neto, putting the Sardinians in to a two-goal lead with half an hour remaining.
But that was not the end for the home side. Cop could have completed a hat-trick from a rebound after Neto parried Farias’ shot, but his attempt was blocked by Savic.
A minute after, Fiorentina could have scored their first goal, but Gilardino’s shot from an acute angle was fantastically blocked by Diakite on the goal-line.
Another two minutes later, however, Gilardino finally found the back of the net with a clinical finish after a fantastic low cross from substitute Vargas.
The goal seemed to have filled the home players with much needed energy, as well as awakaned the home fans, who had been somewhat silent throughout the match.
Despite giving their all in the final minutes, Fiorentina were unable to do more and conceded one more goal from man of the match Farias. La Viola lost all three points to Cagliari, who on the other hand earned three precious points in the relegation battle.
