Penalties were needed to send Cagliari to the round of 32 of the Coppa Italia, in a match where anything could happen . Against Virtus Entella, the score was 1-1 after 90 minutes with an incredible finish, and the shootout ended 6-5 on aggregate. Cavuoti scored the decisive penalty, after Mina had missed the one that would have made it 2-0 just before Deiola's own goal.
The game was mirrored, with both teams using a 3-5-2 formation. A cross from the right by Zortea in the fourth minute found Folorunsho, but visiting goalkeeper Del Frate got there first. The first shot on target fell to Entella, with Fumagalli's right-footed shot from outside the box saved by Caprile in the seventh minute . A minute later, Luvumbo got there first, but he reached for the ball and couldn't control it: the move vanished.
After the first half's cooling-off period (24'), Cagliari had a good chance with Luvumbo, who ran away from his direct marker and looked for Piccoli in the middle, but his pass was too long. Shortly after, the Angolan had Benali booked, with Piccoli's right-footed free kick going wide (33'). It was number 91 himself who broke the deadlock in the 45th minute: Deiola recovered in midfield, the ball passed to Adopo who passed from the right to Piccoli, whose first-time shot crossed and Del Frate was beaten .
The second half was played without substitutions, with Parodi immediately shown a yellow card for stopping Idrissi in midfield. In the 64th minute, Sebastiano Esposito, making his debut, replaced Luvumbo, earning applause from the crowd. He was joined by Zappa for Idrissi. Esposito made his mark in the 73rd minute when he stole the ball from Marconi in the opposing midfield, played it to Piccoli in the box, and the scorer's shot to make it 1-0 was blocked by Del Frate, who came out low.
For the final thirteen minutes, there was another debut, a double: Kılıçsoy came on for Piccoli, Mazzitelli for Prati. Then there was time for a Caprile save in the 79th minute from a Russo shot at the near post. Esposito made his mark with a blocked right-footed shot, but it was the other new signing, Kılıçsoy, with a great play that hit the post: Esposito was the one to get the rebound, but Marconi fouled him and awarded a penalty. Mina stepped up to the spot and fired high into the Curva Nord. And on the counterattack, Mezzoni crossed, Caprile missed the save, and Deiola scored an own goal: an incredible equalizer for Virtus Entella in the 86th minute .
Cavuoti comes on for Obert in the 89th minute. In the six minutes of added time, a header from Adopo forces Del Frate to save, but he lifts it over the crossbar (92'). From the corner, a scramble in the box leads to Kılıçsoy, but the Virtus Entella defense clears the ball off the line . In the final minute of added time, a pass to Zappa on the right leads to Kılıçsoy, who turns in the center of the box and is brought down by Parodi: it looks like a clear penalty, but the referee lets play continue and VAR doesn't call it a warning.
The shootout goes to penalties . Russo scores the first ever, Mina bravely steps up to beat Cagliari's first and converts with a powerful shot. Castelli wrong-foots Caprile, Adopo fires high, and Caprile avoids going two down by blocking Karić's shot. Kılıçsoy, with the help of the crossbar, levels the score, and Debenedetti scores the next penalty, the visitors' fourth. Folorunsho shoots to his left, Del Frate guesses it, but the shot is powerful: 4-4. Tiritiello converts Virtus Entella's fifth penalty, Esposito sends the series to the line with a powerful right-footed strike. Marconi shoots to Caprile's left and hits the crossbar, giving Cavuoti the chance to seal the tie: he scores, and Cagliari is through to the round of 32 .
Tomorrow at 6 pm, Monza-Frosinone will decide their opponents: the match will be played between September 23rd and 25th at the Domus.
