Napoli secured their place in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals only after a tough night, which ended in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. At the Maradona, Antonio Conte's team struggled more than expected against a determined Cagliari side, who forced the Azzurri into a late draw before finally succumbing to a Luvumbo error and Buongiorno's decisive penalty.
Napoli dominated possession at the start, with Lucca immediately taking center stage: in the 17th minute, they tried to find the net but failed to find it, but in the 28th minute, they made it 1-0 with a header from Vergara's assist. The home team persisted, and Lucca came close to doubling the lead in the 33rd minute with a shot that went just wide. In the second half, Politano fired over in the 49th minute, then Mazzocchi forced Caprile to respond in the 51st.
Cagliari surged forward and came forward in the 58th minute with Prati, then Esposito, who fired over the crossbar following a corner. The pressure led to an equalizer: in the 67th minute, Esposito capitalized on a rebound off McTominay to make it 1-1. Napoli attempted to respond with McTominay himself, set up by Hojlund, but the midfielder's shot went wide in the 70th minute. Esposito nearly scored a brace in the 77th minute, while the Azzurri increased their intensity towards the end: in the 87th minute, McTominay found Caprile ready, and in stoppage time, Neres and Spinazzola hit the keeper again. Politano attempted a long-range effort, but the goal was out of reach, and the match inevitably went to penalties.
Felici and Neres missed from eleven meters, and then the game continued: after a series of penalties, Luvumbo was saved by Milinkovic-Savic on the ninth spot kick each, and Buongiorno sealed the match, securing Napoli's place in the quarterfinals. The Azzurri now await the winner of the Fiorentina-Como match.
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