Serie A: Genoa and Cagliari Share Spoils in 2-2 Thriller

Cagliari Fight Back Twice to Earn 2-2 Draw at Genoa

Genoa's injury crisis showed signs of easing, with Johan Vasquez, Mattia Bani, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, David...

Patrick Vieira's debut as Genoa coach ended in a 2-2 draw with Cagliari, as the visitors twice came from behind to earn a point.

Patrick Vieira's debut as Genoa coach ended in a 2-2 draw, as Cagliari scored two penalties to cancel out goals from Morten Frendrup and Fabio Miretti.

Genoa's decision to sack Alberto Gilardino on Wednesday raised eyebrows, given the team's four points from their last two games before the international break.

Genoa's injury crisis showed signs of easing, with Johan Vasquez, Mattia Bani, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, David Ankeye, Junior Messias, Pierluigi Gollini, and Vitinha all returning to the squad. However, Caleb Ekuban, Koni De Winter, Jeff Ekhator, and Ruslan Malinovskyi remained sidelined.

Cagliari halted a three-game losing streak by holding Milan to a thrilling 3-3 draw, setting them up for a confident performance against Genoa.

Roberto Piccoli's header narrowly cleared the crossbar for Cagliari, while Alessandro Zanoli's angled shot tested the goalkeeper's reflexes. Meanwhile, Mattia Bani breathed a sigh of relief after a clumsy defensive header almost led to trouble.

Gianluca Gaetano came close to giving Cagliari the lead before halftime, but Nicola Leali made a crucial save to fingertip his low drive around the post. Gaetano squandered another opportunity when he intercepted Leali's pass, only to fire directly at the goalkeeper.

Genoa capitalized on Gaetano's miss, as Morten Thorsby burst down the right flank and provided a pinpoint pull-back for Fabio Miretti to sweep in first-time from 10 yards.

Genoa continued to press, creating several scoring chances. Thorsby drilled a shot wide, while Andrea Pinamonti's angled drive forced Alen Sherri into a save.

Cagliari pushed hard in the final stages, but Nicola Leali was equal to the task, smothering Leonardo Pavoletti's diving header. However, Cagliari's pressure eventually paid off, as they earned another penalty when Roberto Piccoli got to a loose ball before Aaron Martin.

Piccoli stepped up to convert the penalty, but as a former Genoa player, he refrained from celebrating. The goal set up a tense finale, but Genoa managed to hold on.

In stoppage time, Nicolas Viola was initially shown a straight red card for a high sliding tackle on Milan Badelj. However, a VAR review revealed that Viola had just managed to pull out of the challenge, and the card was downgraded to yellow.