Something had to give in this match: Juventus were on a 10-game winning streak, while Cagliari were unbeaten in seven Serie A matches. And of course, it was Cagliari’s streak that gave way, with the Old Lady adding yet another win to their tally.
Cagliari vs. Juventus, final score 1-4: Juventus fight back to make it 11 straight wins
The scudetto is nearly a lock for Juventus, who are eight points clear at the top of the table after their comeback win over Cagliari.
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The first half got off to a surprising start when Cagliari took the lead after 20 minutes. It was a corner that undid the visitors, with Juventus failing to notice Mauricio Pinilla lurking at the back post. Daniele Conti headed on the cross and the Chilean was able to easily slot in to the bottom corner.
Conti himself very nearly doubled the isolani lead just a few minutes later, when the Juve defense went to sleep. His free header went high, however. Gianluigi Buffon was then called into service to keep out a second from Pinilla.
It took just 10 minutes for Juventus to level. Stephan Lichtsteiner sent in the cross, Fernando Llorente jumped and the ball landed past Antonio Adán.
But it was the hosts that looked more likely to score another, and it was only through the hands of San Gigi that Juve stayed level. This time the header came from Daniele Dessena, but Buffon's reflexes kept the shot out of goal.
After the restart, Cagliari managed to hold Juve back until the 73rd minute.That's when the goals started flooding in.Claudio Marchisio, on for Andrea Pirlo less than 10 minutes before (perhaps to showcase him for David Moyes? It'll start tongues wagging, at least) got on the end of a ball from Giorgio Chiellini to put the Old Lady in front.
And Cagliari were broken. It took just three minutes for Juventus to score their third. Lichtsteiner was the architect once more, Llorente the scorer, an easy finish from close range. The fourth and final goal came courtesy of the Swiss himself, helped along by Adán, who couldn’t keep hold of a shot from Llorente, dropping it into Lichtsteiner’s path for him to tap in.
By the end of the match, the hosts were no longer able to hold in their frustration. Goal scorer Pinilla was shown a straight red for making his displeasure known to the referee.
Cagliari: Adán, Pisano (Cabrera 77), Rossettini, Astori, Murru, Dessena, Conti, Ekdal (Perico 82), Cossu, Sau (Ibarbo 65), Pinilla
Goals: Pinilla 23’
Red Card: Pinilla 87’
Juventus: Buffon, Cáceres, Bonucci, Chiellini, Lichtsteiner, Vidal (Padoin 83), Pirlo (Marchisio 66), Pogba, Asamoah, Tévez (Giovinco 82), Llorente
Goals: Llorente 31’, 76’; Marchisio 73’; Lichtsteiner 80’
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