A spectacular bicycle kick from Joao Pedro pulled Cagliari level in the 1-1 draw with Torino on Monday night and cancelled out Antonio Sanabria’s opening goal.
The Rossoblu entered the match desperate for points and opened the game with enthusiasm and pace, but just not the best decisions going forward.
The two teams struggled to create any massive chances and the opening goal came from a fluke.
Ivan Juric’s men took the lead in the first half through a scrappy goal, as Alessio Cragno gave a rebound after a long-range effort from Tommaso Pobega.
Antonio Sanabria was quickest to the loose ball and Cragno saved another attempt from the Torino forward, but the ball hit Andrea Carboni, who was initially awarded an own goal.
Sanabria was eventually given the goal, as he seemed to have gotten the final touch before the ball crossed the line.
Vanja Milinkovic-Savic was not properly tested in the first half, but Cagliari had a few chances that never really amounted to anything.
But Mazzarri’s men came out after the break with more determination and Joao Pedro was quick to test Milinkovic-Savic, who pulled off a great save form the close-range header.
Joao Pedro could have done better, as his finish was well within reach of the Serbian goalkeeper. But only a few seconds later the Brazilian had pulled Cagliari level with an exquisite finish.
The captain acrobatically gave the Rossoblu a needed equaliser and new hope with a bicycle kick after only 53 minutes.
But the match entered a nervous track from both sides, as the hosts didn’t fully commit to the attempt of turning the match around.
Torino took control over possession and Cagliari kept chasing the ball without much luck. None of the sides seemed content with one point but didn’t have much to offer going forward in the final minutes of the match.
Denis Praet was given a huge opportunity to bring Torino back in the lead, when he ended up behind the Cagliari defence after a long ball.
Video: Joao Pedro’s acrobatic equaliser in Cagliari vs. Torino
The finish, however, went just wide of Cragno’s goal, an incredible chance. He had already done the hardest part, but the finish was poor from the Granata player.
It was all Torino from there on out. Simone Zaza had a big chance from a header only moments later but didn’t manage to hit the target from eight yards.
The Granata looked for a way through the Cagliari defence, and a dink through gave Daniele Baselli a chance one-on-one with Cragno.
He tried to extend the dink over the Cagliari goalkeeper, but the finish ended way above the target and Torino kept squandering opportunities.
Cagliari came on a visit through Nahitan Nandez at the right and the Uruguayan managed to cut inside and get a look on goal, but the finish with his left foot was blocked for a corner.
On the following corner, the ball ended up bouncing towards Nandez, who tried to imitate Joao Pedro’s spectacular goal, but it wasn’t to be that time.
A match of many squandered opportunities and another stalemate for the Rossoblu at Unipol Domus.
Mazzarri’s men have 11 points from 16 games, as Juric’s men are stuck at 13th in the table.