Naples: Napoli needed a sudden death penalty shoot-out to push past Cagliari after a 1-1 draw and will face Como or Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the Partenopei had rediscovered their form after a brief slip-up, having reshuffled their tactics to a 3-4-2-1 formation. The team faced an ongoing injury crisis, missing key players such as Billy Gilmour, Alex Meret, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne, Miguel Gutierrez, and Romelu Lukaku, along with the suspended Luca Marianucci. Meanwhile, Cagliari had not won since their 4-1 Coppa Italia victory over Frosinone on September 23, managing only four draws in their last nine Serie A games. The team also missed Michael Folorunsho and Marco Palestra, with Yerry Mina, Ze Pedro, and Luca Mazzitelli sidelined due to injuries.

The match saw Napoli take the lead following a set play from a corner, where Antonio Vergara’s cross found Lucca for a header from close range. Despite several attempts from both sides, including Matteo Politano’s efforts and Alessandro Di Pardo’s wide ‘trivela’ finish, neither team was able to capitalize further in regulation time.

Cagliari responded strongly in the second half, with a triple substitution sparking a comeback. Matteo Prati’s strike, deflected off Vergara, narrowly missed the goal. Sebastiano Esposito then managed to equalize after a deflection off Scott McTominay allowed him to beat Vanja Milinkovic-Savic one-on-one.

In the tense closing moments, both teams had opportunities to clinch the win. McTominay’s potential spectacular goal was thwarted by Elia Caprile’s impressive save, and Caprile again proved crucial in the dying minutes, saving a close-range effort from David Neres.

With no extra time in this Coppa Italia stage, the match went to penalties. Both teams initially succeeded until Mattia Felici’s shot hit the goal frame. David Neres had a chance to secure victory for Napoli but his low attempt was saved by Caprile, leading to a sudden death scenario. The tension persisted until Zito Luvumbo’s penalty was saved by Milinkovic-Savic, setting the stage for Alessandro Buongiorno to score the decisive goal and send Napoli into the quarter-finals.