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Cagliari-Fiorentina ends 1-2: Viola’s away win, in a comeback, allows them to still believe in a place for Europe.

The team of Raffaele Palladino, after falling behind in Cagliari, turns the game around thanks to Robin Gosens and Lucas Beltran and – also thanks to other results – is now 4 points away from the fourth place.

THE GRINTA OF LUCAS BELTRAN ( PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI )

Cagliari-Fiorentina: the match report

After a 48-hour delay due to the passing of the Holy Father, Unipol Domus hosts Cagliari-Fiorentina. The match starts off strong, with the Sardinians immediately attempting a cross by Luvumbo, but De Gea punches it away. Not even a minute passes and Cagliari takes the lead with Piccoli, who scores into an empty net after a deflected shot against a defender.

Nicola’s team continues to attack the Viola, and in the 12th minute, Nadir Zortea, after a great play, shoots and only hits the post, missing out on the joy of scoring and doubling the lead for the Sardi.

Fiorentina tries but without concrete actions. Only in the 27th minute do they become dangerous with a nice play by Albert Gudmundsson, who makes his way towards the goalkeeper and shoots to the right, but Elia Caprile anticipates the trajectory and makes a stylish save. Dodo wins the rebound outside the box and attempts a shot, but it is blocked by one of the defenders.

Four minutes later, Cagliari claims a penalty for Nicolas Viola, but the referee is firm and does not award anything.

And as in most games, a few minutes later Fiorentina equalizes with Robin Gosens in the 36th minute: Rolando Mandragora shows great vision and passes to Viola on the wing, who coolly converts low to the bottom right corner. It’s 1-1.

To make matters worse for Davide Nicola, forced to make a change due to the injury of Jerry Mina, replaced by Josè Maria Palomino.

On the brink of half-time, exactly in the 44th minute, following an intervention by Mario Pongracic, the referee Marinelli awards a penalty. However, after the VAR review, the referee reverses his decision and cancels the penalty, much to the disbelief of the Rossoblu team.

And that concludes the first half.

The second half starts off with an immediate thrill: in the 48th minute, Dodo kicks a ball in the area for Lucas Beltran, who leaps high and heads from the center of the box, directing it under the bar. Elia Caprile has no chance. 1-2 Fiorentina.

Actions are less impactful after Viola’s goal until the 75th minute when David De Gea steps up: the goalkeeper dives like a cat to push away a long-distance shot heading for the bottom right corner. Unlucky Razvan Marin to find such a formidable goalkeeper in his way.

The match drags on until the end with few significant actions. Not even a flurry of substitutions shakes up the match. The only important chance in injury time (94th minute) falls to Fiorentina again with Zaniolo, who controls a precise pass and shoots low to the right in front of the goalkeeper. Elia Caprile is alert and manages to save in a dive.

The Sardinian team tries with desperate force but without positive results. At Unipol Domus, Cagliari-Fiorentina ends 1-2.

Changes in the standings

The standings change, also considering other results, both for the European competition and to avoid relegation.

With this victory, Fiorentina rises to 56 points, eighth in the standings. The Champions League race is now summarized as follows: Bologna 60, Juventus 59 (defeated in Parma), Lazio 59, Roma 57, and then Viola.

The relegation battle is also becoming more tangled: Verona 32, Parma 31, Cagliari 30, Lecce 26, Venezia and Empoli 25, and Monza at the bottom with 15.

This end of the season is getting more exciting, like it hasn’t been for a long time. Who will come out on top?