Cagliari ends Roma's winning streak

SERIE A RESULTS

 

Tuesday, January 31
Parma	PST	Juventus	Recap
Wednesday, February 1
Atalanta	PST	Genoa	Recap
Bologna	PST	Fiorentina	Recap
Inter	4-4	Palermo	Recap
Lazio	0-2	AC Milan	Recap
Napoli	0-0	Cesena	Recap
Udinese	2-1	Lecce	Recap
Siena	PST	Catania	Recap
Cagliari	4-2	AS Roma	Recap
More: Serie A | Standings |Stats

Thiago Ribeiro bagged a brace as Cagliari ended Roma's six-game unbeaten run in Serie A with an impressive 4-2 victory at Stadio Sant'Elia.

The Brazilian forward opened the scoring after six minutes while Mauricio Pinilla added Cagliari's second four minutes before half-time after Roma had rallied to lead through strikes by Juan and Fabio Borini.

Thiago's second of the match put Cagliari back in the driving seat before Albin Ekdal made sure of the points in stoppage time.

Victory for Cagliari snaps a three-game winless run and elevates them into mid-table, while Roma's first league defeat since December 4 sees them fall further off the pace of fifth-placed Inter Milan.

With three matches called off in Serie A on Wednesday evening due to the freezing weather gripping the Italian mainland, Cagliari's Sardinian home, while chilly, at least was able to offer temperatures a few degrees above zero as the match kicked off.

And it was the hosts who were quickest to warm to their task, taking the lead with their first attack in the sixth minute as Daniele Conti played in Thiago and the frontman fired confidently into the left corner.

The lead lasted just seven minutes, however, as Francesco Totti's corner for the visitors was nodded in by Juan.

Thiago fired over after 31 minutes as the hosts tried to re-established their lead, but the next goal went the way of the visitors three minutes later when Borini sent a powerful finish into the right corner after a free-kick.

Cagliari pulled level after 41 minutes as Andrea Cossu's searching pass picked out Pinilla, who finished well to the left of Maarten Stekelenburg.

Three minutes into the second half the hosts went ahead after a quick counter attack ended when Pinilla picked out Ribeiro who finished high into the centre of the goal.

Stekelenburg saved well going to his left to deny Ribeiro his hat-trick on the hour, while at the other end Borini was denied when Michael Agazzi saved superbly from his close-range effort.

The result was finally put beyond doubt two minutes into stoppage time as Cagliari caught Roma on the break, Victor Ibarbo providing the final pass for Ekdal to tap home.