Cagliari 2-2 Roma: Cengiz helps rescue friendly draw

Roma dug themselves out of a hole to secure a 2-2 draw against Cagliari in their third friendly of preseason on Saturday evening.

Having fallen 2-0 down after goals late in the first half from Marko Rog and Sebastian Walukiewicz, Paulo Fonseca's side erased the deficit in a two-minute flurry midway through the second half in order to come away with a draw.

Substitute Cengiz Under got the first of those goals - rifling home a loose ball that fell to him inside the box - before Henrikh Mkhitaryan clinched the equaliser; the Armenian left with a tap-in after Rick Karsdorp's inviting cross was only deflected perfectly into his path.

In a game where the step up in the quality of the opposition was clear following prior wins over Sambenedettese and Frosinone, the Giallorossi started well and looked marginally the more threatening side - only to find themselves behind at the break.

But the team toiled in order to get back on level terms - as Pau Lopez then made a solid save from Nahitan Nandez almost immediately after Mkhitaryan's strike in order to keep things level.

That was about as close as either side would get to a winning goal, however, with both sides heading into the new Serie A season with things to work on.

Roma kick off their 2019-20 season next weekend, as they travel to face Hellas Verona on Saturday evening.