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
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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.
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.