Claudio Ranieri cut a frustrated character after his Cagliari side relinquished a two-game winning Serie A run with a 2-1 defeat at Juventus. The Sardinians showed plenty of defensive promise in the first half, taking a 0-0 scoreline into halftime, only to collapse after the interval.
Ranieri was understandably furious with the way Cagliari fell behind as Gleison Bremer scored from a set piece to break the deadlock. Another dead ball led to Juventus’ second, with Daniele Rugani tapping home from the line after yet another poor defensive reaction from the visitors.
Alberto Dossena offered Cagliari a lifeline with a thumping header in the 75th minute, becoming the first opposition player to score against Juventus in Serie A since Andrea Pinamonti in September. The Islanders defender almost pulled off an upset single-handedly, but his header rattled off the post.
Speaking to the press in the aftermath, Ranieri blasted his team’s defensive approach in set-piece situations.
“There is bitterness over the opening 15 minutes when we did not do enough, while we worked all week on set play situations, and then Juve scored two goals in precisely the way we expected,” the Cagliari boss said, as quoted by Gianluca Di Marzio.
“Bremer had nobody within two meters of him, and that is unacceptable against a team that is famous for being good on set plays,” Ranieri continued.
The devastated Cagliari coach couldn’t reconcile with an underwhelming result in Turin.
“I told my players, I felt bad for reproaching them, as we managed to neutralize most of their counter-attacks and played well, but ultimately we lost. We lost because it is the details that make the difference.“
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