MX23RW : Saturday, November 23 03:42:54| >> :120:26808:26808:
[monks data]
Fiorentina logo
Serie A
Apr 26, 2015 at 5pm UK
 
Cagliari logo

1-3

Gilardino (74')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Cop (7', 59'), Farias (92')

Duje Cop brace fires Cagliari to vital victory over Fiorentina

A brace from Duje Cop and a strike from Diego Farias fire Cagliari to a 3-1 victory over Fiorentina in Gianluca Festa's first game in charge of the club.

Cagliari earned a vital three points in their battle against relegation as a brace from Duje Cop guided his side to a 3-1 victory over Fiorentina in Gianluca Festa's first game in charge of the club.

Duje Cop of Cagliari Calcio celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Artemio Franchi on April 26, 2015© Getty Images

The visitors took the lead in the seventh minute when Diego Farias controlled the ball in the box and fired it across the face of goal, where Cop was on hand to divert it past Neto.

Cagliari had the chance to double their advantage when Paul-Jose M'Poku released the run of Cop through the middle, but the forward was denied by an excellent save by Neto.

Vincenzo Montella's side pressed just before the break as Alessandro Diamanti fired an effort at goal from outside the box, but his strike just shaved the outside of the post.

Jose' Maria Basanta of ACF Fiorentina battles for the ball with Duje Cop of Cagliari Calcio during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Artemio Franchi on April 26, 2015© Getty Images

In the second half, the home side upped the ante as substitute Juan Vargas raided down the flank and lifted a cross into the box for Alberto Gilardino, but he could only direct his header straight at Zeljko Brkic.

The visitors doubled their lead when Cop was played through down the inside right channel and he buried a low strike into the bottom corner past the outstretched hand of Neto.

Cagliari could have netted a third goal, but Neto made a good stop to deny a shot from Farias, while Manuel Pasqual was quick to clear the rebound before Cop could pounce for his hat-trick.

Fiorentina got back into the match in the 74th minute when Vargas found space down the left and fired a shot towards goal that was diverted past Brkic by Gilardino.

Mario Gomez had the chance to level the scores when he latched on to a corner from Joaquin, but he failed to hit the target from close range.

Cagliari secured their win in stoppage time when Farias netted a spectacular goal as he raced forward from his own half before beating Nenad Tomovic with a backheel, and then fired the ball through the legs of Stefan Savic into the bottom corner.

ID:219480: cacheID:219480:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5534:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Mario Gomez of ACF Fiorentina celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Europa League Quarter Final match between ACF Fiorentina and FC Dynamo Kyiv on April 23, 2015
Read Next:
Fiorentina reach Europa League semi-finals
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Napoli128221991026
2Atalanta BCAtalanta1281331151625
3Fiorentina1274125101525
4Inter Milan1274126141225
5Lazio1281325141125
6Juventus126602171424
7AC Milan115332014618
8Bologna114611513218
9Udinese125161518-316
10Empoli12363910-115
11Torino124261518-314
12Roma123451417-313
13Parma122641618-212
14Hellas VeronaHellas Verona124081727-1012
15Como122461323-1010
16CagliariCagliari122461222-1010
17Genoa12246922-1310
18Lecce12237521-169
19Monza121561015-58
20VeneziaVenezia122281121-108


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!