Napoli wanted a sudden dying penalty shoot-out to push previous Cagliari after a 1-1 draw and can within the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
The Partenopei had rediscovered their kind after a short slip-up, having reshuffled their techniques to a 3-4-2-1 formation. The harm disaster dragged on, lacking Billy Gilmour, Alex Meret, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne, Miguel Gutierrez and Romelu Lukaku, plus suspended Luca Marianucci. have been with out a win because the 4-1 Coppa Italia victory over Frosinone on September 23, scraping simply 4 attracts within the final 9 Serie A video games. Michael Folorunsho and Marco Palestra didn’t make the journey, with Yerry Mina, Ze Pedro and Luca Mazzitelli injured.
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NAPLES, ITALY – DECEMBER 03: Fabio Pisacane, Head Coach of Cagliari, and Antonio Conte, Head Coach of SSC Napoli, pose for a photograph previous to the Coppa Italia spherical of 16 match between SCC Napoli and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on December 03, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Picture by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Photos)
The Eljif Elmas free kick was cleared nearly off the road by Sebastiano Luperto for a nook, and it was from that set play that Napoli took the lead. It was taken quick for the Antonio Vergara cross to the again publish, discovering the Lucca header from point-blank vary.
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Matteo Politano’s pull-back from the by-line was cleared with problem, and one other Vergara cross on the nook was slightly too lengthy for Lucca this time.
NAPLES, ITALY – DECEMBER 03: Lorenzo Lucca of SSC Napoli scores his crew’s first aim through the Coppa Italia spherical of 16 match between SCC Napoli and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on December 03, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Picture by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Photos)
Alessandro Di Pardo curled his ‘trivela’ end huge off the skin of the proper boot from the sting of the realm.
Politano curled astray after the restart and Pasquale Mazzocchi couldn’t get sufficient energy on the end to bother Elia Caprile.
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Cagliari made a triple change and it sparked a response, Matteo Prati’s strike deflected off Vergara to flash simply huge, then Sebastiano Esposito fired over from a difficult angle.
The Sardinians visibly took again management of the sport from a sluggish Napoli and acquired the deserved equaliser. Gennaro Borrelli went on the counter and was attempting to go it in direction of the proper, however it took a giant deflection off Scott McTominay to fall kindly for Esposito, beating Vanja Milinkovic-Savic one-on-one.
NAPLES, ITALY – DECEMBER 03: Sebastiano Esposito of Cagliari celebrates scoring his crew’s first aim through the Coppa Italia spherical of 16 match between SCC Napoli and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on December 03, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Picture by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Photos)
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Conte threw on his huge title gamers and McTominay shinned the end huge from the sting of the realm, however Alessandro Deiola additionally did not take advantage of a free header on the again publish on Esposito’s set play.
McTominay was about to attain a spectacular aim on 87 minutes, controlling on the chest along with his again to aim and hitting a volley on the flip, solely to be denied by a improbable Caprile response save. On the ensuing nook, Leonardo Spinazzola’s heavy contact let him down.
In stoppages, one other Caprile save was required on the close to publish on the David Neres flick from a Spinazzola cross, whereas Politano drilled huge with the final kick of the sport.
As there isn’t a further time on this stage of the Coppa Italia, the groups went straight to a penalty shoot-out on the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
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They have been all profitable till Mattia Felici smashed his in opposition to the body of the aim, however when he might’ve gained it, David Neres noticed his low effort saved by Caprile.
It subsequently needed to go to sudden dying at 4-4, and stored going till Zito Luvumbo’s was parried by Milinkovic-Savic, permitting Alessandro Buongiorno to ship Napoli into the Coppa Italia quarter-final.
Penalty shoot-out: Obert (C, aim), Politano (N, aim), Borrelli (C, aim), McTominay (N, aim), Prati (C, aim), Lang (N, aim), Felici (C, miss), Hojlund (N, aim), S Esposito (C, aim), Neres (N, saved), Luperto (C, aim), Elmas (N, aim), Adopo (C, aim), Milinkovic-Savic (N, aim), Idrissi (C, aim), Spinazzola (N, aim), Di Pardo (C, aim), Juan Jesus (N, aim), Luvumbo (C, saved), Buongiorno (N, aim)
Napoli 1-1 Cagliari
Lucca 28 (N), S Esposito 67 (C)
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