CAGLIARI v AC MILAN: A PREVIOUS MEETING

Do you remember where you were on 25 November 2007? Probably either at the stadium or in front of the TV, seeing as AC Milan played in Cagliari that day. Back then, the Rossoneri took to the pitch at the Sant’Elia; now, the Unipol Domus is the stadium the Diavolo travel to when they head to Sardinia. With the team’s next trip just around the corner, we’ve decided to look back on a previous encounter with the Rossoblù more than 14 years ago.

SETTING THE SCENE
It was the 2007/08 season and AC Milan were the reigning Champions of Europe. In Italy, however, things weren’t exactly going according to plan. It was matchday 13 in Serie A and a particularly difficult time for Italian football, which was still reeling from the death of Gabriele Sandri. With their match against Atalanta in Bergamo having been pushed back and the international break over, Ancelotti’s team took to the pitch looking for points. Despite comprehensive wins in Rome (5-1 against Lazio) and Genoa (5-0 against Sampdoria), the Rossoneri were eighth in the league, eleven points behind top spot and seven points adrift of the Champions League spots. It hadn’t been a good start, and the situation needed rectifying as soon as possible. Cagliari provided the opportunity to do so.

RONALDO RETURNS, BUT ACQUAFRESCA OPENS THE SCORING
There were two things in particular to note before kick-off: Ronaldo was selected for his first appearance of the season, while Sonetti was taking charge of his first Cagliari match following Giampaolo’s sacking. The spotlight was firmly on O Fenômeno, who had been out with a tibia fracture and would go on to suffer a patellar tendon injury later on in an injury-stricken campaign. However, it was initially Acquafresca who stole the show: he headed the home side into the lead from a corner after just four minutes. AC Milan faced a difficult situation, with former Rossoneri man Foggia looking particularly threatening. Without Seedorf and Inzaghi, the onus was on Kaká and Gilardino to provide a bit of inspiration. At the end of the first half, after Bianco had been penalised for a foul on Ronaldo in the box, Ricky had the chance to level matters twelve yards out. However, Fortin saved his penalty.

A SUBSTITUTION AND TWO GOALS
It seemed like it just wasn’t going to be AC Milan’s afternoon as Ronaldo hit the post shortly after the restart. But then, in what proved to be a turning point, Ancelotti made a substitution on the 58-minute mark, replacing Ambrosini with Bonera. The Rossoneri switched to a back three, with Oddo and especially Serginho pushing up the pitch and helping to drive the team forward. And it was from the Brazilian’s ball into the box that the Diavolo’s equaliser came about: Bianco failed to clear and Gilardino took full advantage, producing a real poacher’s finish. Having just drawn level, AC Milan then almost fell behind: Nesta was unable to stop Acquafresca, who rounded Dida and was only denied by a magnificent goal-line clearance from Bonera. It was almost as good as a goal for the Rossoneri, who went on to score the winner in the 86th minute thanks to a bit of magic from Pirlo, whose free kick from distance proved unstoppable for Fortin and completed the comeback. It was a precious victory, even if the Diavolo, who were crowned Club World Champions the following month, later fell short and missed out on Champions League qualification.

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