Cagliari caressed the hunchbacked shot in Bari, but after the advantage of Lapadula, who was then sent off, the rossoblù recovered in the 50th minute of the second half with a penalty from Antenucci.
Ranieri surprises everyone, choosing an unprecedented 4-4-1-1, with Zappa and Luvumbo on the right lane and Obert with Lella on the left. The couples in the center are Goldaniga-Dossena in defense and Makoumbou-Rog in the middle, with Mancosu supporting Lapadula. And after 88 seconds, Mancosu brushed in the middle: too high for Vicari, too out of reach for Caprile, perfect for the Italian-Peruvian who immediately breaks the ice and reaches his 10 goals for the season.
Bari has a nervous reaction, but the two Cagliari lines hold up well and Radunovic runs no risk. A few fights too many, with a yellow card for Goldaniga for foul play and Lapadula for protesting.
And so the first half ends with Ranieri's team ahead.
In the second half, it was Cagliari who tried immediately, after 3', with an incursion by Makoumbou, whose right foot was deflected for a corner. In the 11th minute, however, Lapadula spread his arms too much and Massa sent him off for a second yellow card. Bari starts the siege and Ranieri runs for cover, first inserting Millico and Prelec for Luvumbo and Mancosu, then Kourfalidis and Barreca for Rog and Lella. The hosts push, Benali's header touches the post, but Cagliari holds.
Mignani throws himself into the fray by inserting the Antenucci bomber, and then giving up on Cheddira. Radunovic dominates on all loose balls. But when it seemed done, in the 48th minute Makoumbou made the only mistake of his match, hitting Maiello in the box. This is how it ends and for Cagliari there is a bitter taste in the mouth for a nuanced victory in the recovery.
