Serie A champions Napoli secured their place in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on Wednesday night, but they required a marathon penalty shootout to overcome a resilient Cagliari side following a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Antonio Conte’s men ultimately prevailed 9-8 from the spot, ending a tense evening that saw the visitors fight back to force the game beyond regulation time.
Regulation Time Stalemate
Napoli took the initiative early in the encounter, breaking the deadlock in the 28th minute through Lorenzo Lucca. However, the hosts were unable to put the game to bed, allowing Cagliari to grow into the contest.
Sebastiano Esposito struck for the visitors in the second half to level the scoreline. With no extra time allocated under current tournament rules, the match went directly to penalties after the final whistle.
Shootout Drama
The shootout proved to be a nerve-wracking affair. Cagliari appeared to crack first when their fourth taker, Mattia Felici, saw his effort crash against the crossbar. However, the tension continued as Napoli’s Brazilian forward, David Neres, missed the opportunity to seal the victory, with his shot easily saved by goalkeeper Elia Caprile.
The contest extended deep into sudden death. The decisive moment finally arrived on the 10th round of kicks. Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic produced a crucial save to deny Zito Luvumbo. Alessandro Buongiorno then stepped up to bury his penalty, sending the home crowd into relief and the champions into the last eight.
Quarter-Final Outlook
Napoli will now await the outcome of the fixture between Como and Fiorentina, scheduled for late January, to discover their quarter-final opponents.
In other Coppa Italia action on Wednesday, Atalanta showcased their dominance with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Genoa to book their spot in the next round.
The round of 16 continues later tonight as Inter Milan welcome Venezia, the only Serie B side remaining in the tournament. Defending champions Bologna are set to host Parma on Thursday.
Armenian Dram
Ghana Cedi
Gambian Dalasi
Guinea Franc
Nigerian Naira
CFA Franc BEAC
