The 28th round of Serie A kicked off with a closely contested 1-1 draw between Cagliari and Genoa at the Unipol Domus. The home side took the lead in the first half through Nicolas Viola, but Maxwel Cornet levelled the scoreline early in the second half to secure a valuable point for the visitors.
Cagliari began the match on the front foot, controlling possession and creating the better chances in the early stages. They thought they had taken the lead in the 10th minute, but Lorenzo Piccoli’s effort was ruled out for an extremely tight offside decision, with VAR determining that his shoulder was marginally beyond the last defender.
Moments later, Cagliari’s Kingsley Coman came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock with a spectacular free-kick that crashed against the post, leaving Genoa goalkeeper Leali rooted to the spot.
Their persistence eventually paid off in the 18th minute when Viola capitalised on a defensive mistake. After a misplaced touch by Genoa’s Ekhator, Cagliari launched a swift counter-attack. Piccoli played in Viola, who showed excellent composure to turn and finish clinically, giving the hosts a 1-0 advantage.
However, Cagliari suffered a setback shortly after, with Coman forced off due to injury in the 30th minute, prompting the introduction of Tommaso Augello. Genoa struggled to impose themselves in the first half and only threatened in stoppage time, when Caleb Ekuban directed a close-range effort just wide following a challenge from Elia Caprile.
Genoa manager Patrick Vieira made an immediate tactical switch at half-time, bringing on Alessandro Zanoli for Norton-Cuffy. The change had an almost instant impact, as the visitors equalised just two minutes after the restart. Ekuban, quiet for much of the first half, turned provider with a well-timed low cross from the right. Cornet reacted quickest, steering the ball past Caprile to make it 1-1.
Sensing momentum shifting in their favour, Vieira introduced Andrea Pinamonti and Giovanni Masini, replacing Ekuban and the booked Milan Badelj. The changes helped Genoa maintain their defensive solidity while posing a greater counter-attacking threat.
Cagliari struggled to regain their attacking fluency, and the match saw few clear-cut chances in the closing stages. Genoa suffered a blow when Cornet limped off with an injury, but it allowed the return of Ruslan Malinovskyi, who made his first appearance in over five months following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The match’s final moments lacked drama, as both sides settled for a hard-earned draw. The result leaves Genoa in 13th place with 32 points, edging them closer to securing their Serie A survival. Meanwhile, Cagliari remain in 17th place on 26 points, still dangerously close to the relegation zone, with plenty of work left to do in their battle to stay in the top flight.
With 10 matches remaining, Nicola’s side will need to find consistency if they are to avoid being dragged further into the relegation scrap. As for Genoa, Vieira will be pleased with his team’s resilience, knowing that every point gained moves them closer to safety.
