Serie A: Atalanta 0-0 Cagliari – Rest doesn’t help La Dea

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Peter Young | Last updated Feb 15, 2025 10:52 AM ET

A heavily rotated Atalanta side were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Cagliari in Serie A on Saturday afternoon, as Gian Piero Gasperini rested a number of first-teamers ahead of the Champions League re-match against Club Brugge coming up midweek.

Gasperini made several changes following the disappointing and controversial 2-1 loss to Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday, handing rests to Marten De Roon, Ederson and Charles De Ketelaere.

You can see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Atalanta spent much of the first half camped in the Cagliari half in control of possession, but it was Lazar Samardzic with the only shot on target from either side by the end of the first period.

Elia Caprile was almost punished for a sloppy pass out of the back, which landed at the feet of the Atalanta trequartista, who tried to bend a left-footed shot into the near post from the right-hand edge of the area, but the keeper pulled out a decent save to deny him.

Rafael Toloi, on for a rare Serie A start, also tried to bend one in from the edge of the area, but his right-footed effort was high and wide and sailed behind for a goal-kick.

La Dea ended the first half with 65% of the possession, but no particularly dangerous chances to show for it.

Atalanta had the ball in the back of the net after an hour; Brescianiini prodding into an open net from a corner, but the whistle blew shortly after for a foul on goalkeeper Caprile by Stefan Posch.

Atalanta felt there wasn’t an awful lot in the free-kick given to Cagliari, but VAR can only intervene if a clear and obvious error has been made, and this call was not a glaringly obvious mistake.

Gasperini brought on a combination of youth and experience over the second half, introducing 19 and 20-year-olds Marco Palestra and Vanja Vlahovic, as well as Charles De Ketelaere, Ederson and Marten De Roon, but none of them were able to have a major impact on proceedings.

Cagliari created a number of half-chances in the final quarter, including a series of four crosses in the space of two minutes, and a dangerous free-kick from Augello, which ultimately went out for a goal kick.

There were brief appeals for an Atalanta penalty around the 80th minute, and while there may have been a touch from Augello, there was no time for him to react and his arm was right down by his side.

De Ketelaere and Vlahovic saved their best chances of the game for the final five minutes. The Belgian tried from the centre of the area and was blocked by Yerry Mina, while the young Serbian was denied by an important Caprile save.