Sunday evening, Cagliari validated its ticket for the rise in Serie A after scoring an almost unexpected goal in added time of the meeting.
Before the additional time of the match, everything was still possible for Bari. Driven by a San Nicola stadium beating a record attendance (58,206 people), the Biancorossi had good reason to believe in it. In the first leg, they snatched the draw (1-1) in the very last moments of the match. So why not do it again at home this time around?
In the game, the two teams take turns touching the crossbar, without being able to hit the mark. But at the last minute of regulation time, Claudio Ranieri makes a final change… which will change everything: Zito Luvumbo leaves, Leonardo Pavoletti enters. The story begins. The fourth referee indicates 6 minutes of additional time. And, four minutes later: penalty for Bari. On the right of the opponent’s penalty area, the side of Cagliari Gabriele Zappa erases his vis-à-vis then sends into orbit… Leonardo Pavoletti launched at the far post and scored a “photo-finish” goal. Bari will not recover, Cagliari is in Serie A.
Also readSerie A: Hellas Verona saved, Cagliari promoted
Paid Coaching for the Pragmatic Ranieri! The coach knew very well what he had in mind, with the entry of Pavoletti. This season, he scored 4 of his 7 goals in the last ten minutes of a game. At 71, Ranieri has not always had happy episodes in his previous clubs. At Watford (2021), he was sacked after three short months at the head of the team. At Fulham in 2018/2019, the Italian is in place for another month, although supported by the club’s supporters. This winter he returned to southern Sardinia. It was the club that revealed it (1998-1991), notably allowing Cagliari to move from the 3rd division to the 1st in just two years.
After the match, Ranieri said that the doubt of returning to Cagliari “was not to succeed in the business. To come back here and not make it would have been a huge defeat. Cagliari allowed me to fly in my career, in Italy and in Europe.
Since April 22, Cagliari have not lost. A great performance that will have allowed the club to surf on a positive dynamic and to approach the accession play-offs differently. After the match, the technician burst into tears in the arms of his staff. It remains to be seen whether he will still be on the Sardinian bench next season.
