Cagliari suffered a difficult start to the match, resulting in a defeat against Napoli. At the Unipol Domus, the Neapolitans won 1-0, with McTominay scoring on the first whistle, and climbed to second place, awaiting AC Milan. The Rossoblu's response was in vain.
Cagliari started with a 4-3-3 formation, but Napoli got off to a strong start, taking the lead after ninety seconds . It all started with a mistake in the clearance by Caprile, who, under pressure from Højlund, lost the ball: the move continued in the box, and Zé Pedro closed it out for a corner. From the short kick, he crossed to the far post for Beukema to pass to Buongiorno. The first shot was missed, and the second was touched by Caprile against the post, with McTominay, as always, tapping in . There was a check for possible foul play, but it was all good: 0-1 after two minutes.
The Rossoblù don't react. They actually come close to doing so in the 5th minute, when Højlund again races down the right and Dossena fouls him on the edge of the box. It's a free kick, Politano beats it to it, and Caprile punches it away. In the 15th minute, on another play from behind with the visitors pressing and a corner awarded, Mina gets ahead of McTominay in the six-yard box, and the ball soars over the crossbar. Twenty minutes later, Cagliari's first move: Esposito steals possession from Olivera and races down the right, his diagonal shot going wide .
The middle of the match saw fewer chances, with Cagliari trying to rally and Napoli always threatening when they managed to recover high up the pitch. In the stands, however, the Curva Nord began chanting in the 25th minute, loudly protesting the ban on fans . Towards the end of the half, the Azzurri tried to pick up the pace again and continued to rack up a series of corners. In the 42nd minute, McTominay's right-footed shot from the edge of the box was deflected into a corner. From the corner, the attack continued, with Gilmour freed in the box for a right-footed shot that was blocked . Half-time went into after two minutes of added time.
Resumption without changes. The first real opportunity one is always Napoli's, in the 52nd minute De Bruyne shoots from the edge with Caprile blocking, the ball bounces on the right towards the byline with Politano putting it back in the middle and the rossoblù goalkeeper saving again. Caprile again in the 56th minute, a low save on Politano after an initial shot by McTominay blocked . The first substitution in the middle, Alisson Santos for Lobotka.
A free kick to the far post for Mina finds the Colombian's header on the edge of the box. Gaetano fires it wide with his right foot to the left of Milinković-Savić, who was still controlling the ball. But it's a good chance for Cagliari in the 58th minute. Seven minutes later, Pisacane makes the first move, replacing Folorunsho with Kılıçsoy . On the ensuing move, a cross from Adopo leads to a corner. Dossena passes it to Mina, who is closed down by Beukema, and Esposito collects it with a powerful right-footer that flies over.
In the 73rd minute, Pisacane changed the formation: if the Adopo-Deiola substitution, with the San Gavino midfielder returning after nearly three months, was a role-by-position one, the Zé Pedro-Mendy one certainly wasn't, with the young Primavera striker making his professional debut. He made his mark immediately, with a duel with Buongiorno and an acrobatic clearance at the byline . Conte responded with another double substitution, in the 77th minute bringing on Zambo Anguissa and Spinazzola for Gilmour and Politano.
A run by McTominay in the 79th minute leads the Scotsman to the edge of the penalty area: he attempts a right-footed shot, but Dossena manages to block it with his leg. The final changes come in the 84th minute: Napoli's Juan Jesus replaces Mathías Olivera (booked), Cagliari's Trepy replaces Esposito, and Raterink (another debut) replaces Juan Rodríguez. Pisacane closes with a very young attack, and in the third of five minutes of added time, Trepy himself could have had the equalizer, but Spinazzola makes a decisive save to deny him—from a low cross from the left by Mina. This action seals the three points for Napoli.