Napoli-Cagliari 0-0 in the 45th minute: Caprile decisively blocks McTominay.

Napoli-Cagliari didn't score in the first half. McTominay had the best chance to break the deadlock in the 45th minute, but Caprile responded.

Cagliari started with a 3-5-1-1 formation, with Palestra and Obert wide, while Folorunsho supported Esposito. Five minutes later, Zappa was immediately booked for running and hitting McTominay . There were no significant openings, and the first chances were in the 18th minute, with Spinazzola's cross from the left, which Lucca attempted to acrobatically fire into the far post without touching.

Napoli dominated possession, with Cagliari remaining mostly in their own half for the first half hour. In the 30th minute, Prati was robbed of the ball by McTominay, but the Scotsman's left-footed shot was blocked by Mina. The Rossoblu made their first appearance in the 36th minute: Deiola played the ball to Esposito, who failed to direct it towards Meret's goal in the six-yard box . A minute later, Obert broke down the flank, entered the box, and was met with a cross from the home defense.

Esposito tried his luck from midfield in the 38th minute, seeing Meret out of range: his shot went wide . A minute later, De Bruyne received the ball from Spinazzola and fired it over with his right foot. Then, in the 41st minute, a good cross from debutant Palestra found Prati in the box, whose header went over. Before halftime, Caprile blocked a low shot from Lucca, but the Cagliari goalkeeper made a decisive save in the 45th minute, denying McTominay from a right-footed shot at the near post, after the Scot had escaped three opponents. Halftime followed after one minute of added time.