CAGLIARI-NAPOLI 0-4 | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | SERIE A 2024/25

Hello and a very warm welcome to the Unipol Domus Stadia matchday 4 of the Serie A season Cagliari, hosting Napoli. The Cagliari side that's still looking to get up and running, at least on the league front they have tasted victory in the Coppa Italia. They'll be now determined to finally chalk up their first Serie A victory of the new season and the first under Davide Nicola in the Cagliari dugout. As for Napoli they are, or at least appear to be up and running now and appear to have turned the corner. They go into this one after a thrilling victory against Parma, they beat Bologna the round before and they now make it three on the spin. As the stadium announcer gives the Cagliari starting eleven. With the evening sunshine here, shining down on the sunshine island that is Sardegna. Now the home side make just one change to the team that was beaten at Lecce before the international break. Prat is out injured so Gianluca Gaetano on loan from Napoli slots into the midfield. Piccoli carries the team's goal hopes having scored two goals between league and cup. The veteran skipper and one time Napoli forward Leonardo Pavoletti is on the bench ready to come on and try and hurt one of his former employers. As for the visitors well after starring on his debut Romelu Lukaku has handed his first start with the Azzurri. The Belgian comes in for Giacomo Raspadori in attack. Another change from the win against Parma sees Spinazzola take over on the left flank from Matias Oliveira. Scottish stars McTominay and Gilmour are both on the bench as is David Nerys. Two assists from two so far for his new club. And we're underway. Can the Azzurri build on their back-to-back wins against Bologna and Parma? Cavarazzoglia. And to combine with Politano. Now Lukaku back with Politano. First time hit. Flag stayed down. Piccoli now. Piccoli for the opener. And Meret makes the save. And then the flag comes up. Comes up from Piccoli. Lubocca. Lukaku. Back with Lubocca. For Politano. Politano onto his favoured left boot. Di Lorenzo. Spinazzola. Flag stayed down. Scufec got a glove to it. And the flag does eventually go up to Spinazzola. An offside position. Ongisa. Lubocca. Lukaku. Was he fouled by Yerimina? One back by Ongisa. Now Politano. Lukaku. Now Di Lorenzo. Takes a wicked deflection. And it's crept in. Napoli lead. 18 minutes gone. Di Lorenzo will claim it. The man who bagged the first goal of the Conte era. He's put the Azzurri ahead. The captain leading from the front. Curiously, his first ever goal in Serie A came against Cagliari. And he has some more joy now against the Islanders. Lukaku. Into the path of Di Lorenzo. Yerimina. With that touch. Putting it into the back of his own net. Di Lorenzo will do all he can to claim it. There will be question marks though. Whether it will go down as a known goal. Yerimina. Di Lorenzo one of five different goal scorers this season for Napoli. Like to share the goals around. Gaetano. Nice work. Atzi. Stings the gloves of Meret. Would have been an instant reaction from the home side. Only a minute after conceding. And here we get the replay of that. Over hit pass by Loboccia. And a shot from Atzi. He's never scored in Serie A. Ongisa. Driving forward. Future Cavarazzella. Back with Ongisa. And now Lukaku. Somehow. Cagliari. Crowded out the Belgian. They've managed to frustrate him there. The referee has halted play. There's a head injury there too. Pasquale Mazzocchi. He clashed with Augello. In the meantime Napoli were playing on. Ongisa for Cavarazzella. And then trying to find Lukaku. Especially Luperto with the block. Cavarazzella. Towards like money. Luperto. Clicked on by Alessandro Deola. Luvumbo. Those looking for Piccoli. When Giorno fails to deal with it. Atzi. Played in by Atzi. Towards Luvumbo. And Mazzocchi. Right place, right time. Augello to take. And Cagliari. Grabbed the equaliser. Augello. Towards Piccoli. Fabulous save by Meret. Piccoli rising highest. Meret. Equal to the effort. Politano. Cavarazzella now. And Zappa makes the block. A real tête-à-tête between Zappa and Cavarazzella. You just feel Nicola said to Zappa, you've got to man Markle. Get as close as possible to Cavarazzella this afternoon. Tracking back there. Zappa. I thought the Georgian. Now Ongisa. Ongisa. Cavarazzella. Back with Ongisa. Tries to help it along. What can Spinazzola do from this position? Goes past Marine. Spinazzola now. Couldn't find a team-mate. Still panic inside the calorie box. Lovumbo's done really well there. Easing the pressure on the Rosso Blu defence. Still with Lovumbo. Lung-bursting run from the Angolan. Past Marine through the legs. Tunnel, as it's known in Italian. Lovumbo. A chance for Lovumbo now. Golden by Lovumbo. This is Roberto Piccoli. Sliced his effort. It was a difficult angle. Expecting to do better there. Could he have taken a touch as well there? Roberto Piccoli, the man who scored at least one goal for five different clubs in the past five seasons. On loan again from Atalanta. Another loan experience for him. Cavarazzella. Back with Lukaku. Just couldn't take it into his stride. The idea was there. Now it's Cagliari. Lovumbo. Aim towards Gaetano. Gaetano! Trickles into the side netting. He goes appealing for a corner. Man on loan from Napoli. Doing his very best to bag the equaliser. Marine. Lukaku. Heads it away. The referee looks at his watch. Algello. And then Mena. Then the whistle has gone from Federico Lapena. Had already gone. Already had halted the play. Marine. As it came across. Mena. Piccoli. And Lovumbo. Offside. So wouldn't have counted. Mena then in the offside position. That is the final passage of play before the break. Napoli in the driving seat. They are on course for their third successive Serie A victory. After overcoming Bologna and Parma in the previous two rounds. Di Lorenzo. His goal splits the teams at the interval. It did take a big deflection of Jeremy. But Di Lorenzo's goal splitting the teams. Piccoli trying his very best for Cagliari. And Lovumbo as well has been a bundle of energy. But it hasn't been enough for the Islanders. They have it all to do after the break. If they are to collect something from this match. Moret has also pulled out all the stops. To keep Napoli in the driving seat. And preserve Napoli's narrow advantage at the break. At half time it is Cagliari 0 Napoli 1. Gaetano. Really would be some story should he score. Right from Naples. Looking for a team mate. It's flicked on. And then Lovumbo on the rebound. Doesn't make it count. Luperto with the initial head up. Moret again pulled into action. Again preserving Napoli's lead. And then Lovumbo couldn't make it count. Dragged it wide. One handed save from Moret. Moret has been a constant thorn in the Cagliari side so far. Here goes Marine. Gerry Mina. Straight at the keeper. Not enough pace or power. To trouble Napoli number one. Azi. Zappa. Marine first to that loose ball. Here goes Marine. Swerving strike. Lady Luck not on his side. Thwarted by the frame of the goal. Huge relief for Napoli. Now Algello. Gaetano. Trying to find the space for the shot. Runs into a Napoli brick wall. And now Lukaku. Needs support. Or will he go it alone, Lukaku? He'll try his very best. Gerry Mina, other ideas. Shona Yellowcar joins his team mate Lobotka in the book. Hear that swerving strike from Marine. Moret got a touch. Fingertip save by Moret. Lobotka. Di Lorenzo. Lukaku. Kvaracelja. For goal number two. The celebrations begin in the Napoli dugout. As they go out on the pitch. Kvica Kvaracelja doubles the Azzurri's lead. His second of the season. Napoli a big step towards a third successive Serie A victory. A nod to his newborn child as well. Lukaku having scored on his debut last time out. Provides the assist on his first start for the club. Kvaracelja has still a lot to do there. As he took it into his stride. The onrushing Luperto. And then Bjorn Skufet. Cool finish. And that's what it means to Antonio Conte. Luperto. That's awkward now. Mutandwa. Matias Oliveira just ushers it out on that far side. Di Lorenzo. Back with Di Lorenzo. Past Mutandwa. Those looking for Lukaku now. Skufet. Got his body in front of it. The whistle going from La Penna. This is why Di Lorenzo just, that boot. Putting him in an offside position there. Politano puts the pressure on Skufet. It's given away. Kvaracelja for Lukaku. Never in doubt. On target. On his debut last time out. He now marks his full debut for the club with another goal. Kvaracelja returning the favour to the big Belgian. Napoli surely out of sight now. Three goals and well on the way to the three points. It all stemmed from that error by Skufet. Politano putting on the pressure. Then Kvaracelja, the composure to see Lukaku free inside the box. Lukaku, he's now scored on each of his four visits to Sardegna. Something about the cannery colours that bring out the best in the Belgian. Politano just letting it run as well. Not the cleanest of strikes, but they all count. Simeone as well, leading those celebrations. Adepo. Zortea. Held in by Zortea towards Pavoletti. Now Luvumbo takes a touch. Offloads. Makumbu. Neris to take. Made in by Neris. Towards Buongiorno. It's a rout. And Buongiorno bags his first goal for the club. He makes it four deep into added time. Lukaku and Kvaracelja leading the tributes to the Napoli defender. Skufet got a glove to it. It wasn't enough. Too hot to handle. A bullet header from Alessandro Buongiorno. And to think his last goal in Serie A came against Napoli. That for Torino. Torino, though, the past. Napoli is the present and future for Alessandro Buongiorno. Burying the header. Decisive at both ends. Alessandro Buongiorno as he takes it in. Drinks it all up. Laps it up. A goal and a clean sheet for Buongiorno. And there goes the full-time whistle. Napoli appear to have turned the corner after their nightmare start at Verona. It's now three wins on the spin for the Azzurri. Conte becomes the first coach since Luciano Spalletti to oversee three straight wins in the Napoli dugout. Buongiorno putting the rubber stamp on the victory deep into added time after Di Lorenzo, Kvaracelja and Lukaku on the score sheet.