Cagliari's first point erupted in the 94th minute: Sebastiano Luperto scored the much-celebrated goal that earned a precious 1-1 draw against Fiorentina, at the end of a match in which the Rossoblù were on equal terms with the Viola.
The Rossoblù started with a 4-3-2-1 formation, with Esposito and Folorunsho supporting Borrelli . The start was dull , but in the 13th minute, a good move found Deiola on the left and a cross to the far post for Borrelli, who was beaten to a header by Gosens. From the corner, Mina deflected the ball and De Gea saved. In the 19th minute, Esposito made his presence felt, firing a left-footed shot over the bar.
Cagliari had a huge opportunity in the 22nd minute: Esposito's corner was met by Folorunsho's header at the near post. De Gea saved, but the ball went under his body and Gosens on the line prevented a seemingly assured 1-0 . After the cooling-off period, Esposito had a good idea in the 31st minute with a cross from the right, which was just a little too long for Folorunsho.
The half ended with fewer chances, with Esposito shooting high and Caprile anticipating Kean. In the 43rd minute, Obert was booked for a foul on Dodô, and just before injury time (3 minutes, starting with Borrelli being booked for a foul on Sohm), Mina attempted a long-range shot that went high .
Fiorentina immediately resumed with Mandragora and Viti, with Ndour and Ranieri coming off. Cagliari had a good chance in the 56th minute: Mina's free kick switched play to the left for Obert, and Borrelli's cross from the byline got ahead of De Gea but missed the target . More changes in the 61st minute: Cagliari brought on Luvumbo for Esposito and Mazzitelli for Prati, while Fiorentina replaced another central defender, Comuzzo, with Pablo Marí.
Cagliari's final blow came in the 68th minute, when—with Deiola off the field receiving treatment—Fiorentina took the lead. Guðmundsson received the ball in the right midfield and crossed into the box, where substitute Mandragora headed past Mina and scored with the help of the post . The Icelander then came off and Fazzini came on. For the final 15 minutes, after Kean's right-footed shot (from a suspicious position) was parried by Caprile, Idrissi (his Serie A debut) and Gaetano also came on for Obert and Deiola.
Pioli finished his substitutions with Parisi replacing Gosens (77'), Pisacane (after Gaetano's free kick from the edge of the box hit the wall) replacing Kılıçsoy for the much-applauded Borrelli. But it was De Gea who performed a miracle to keep the score at 0-1, with a right-footed shot from Gaetano, who had run well into the box . A minute later, Luvumbo made an easier save from a left-footed shot, but shortly afterward, he swerved with his right foot following a combination with Kılıçsoy.
The six minutes of injury time began with a Mazzitelli free kick, which was met by Mina and headed wide by Zappa. In the 94th minute, Gaetano was fouled by Mandragora in midfield and took the free kick, perfectly placed into the center of the area, where Luperto's powerful header beat De Gea, who couldn't get a touch on the ball . Unbridled joy on the pitch: Cagliari ended their debut with a draw.
