Napoli suffer as Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari strike again in ‘zona Cesarini’

In Italy, the final moments of a football game are known as the zona Cesarini: a reference to Renato Cesarini, the former Juventus midfielder who cemented his reputation for late goals with a 90th-minute winner for the national team against Hungary in 1931.

The term has long since passed into general use, describing anything from political deals brokered right before a vote to homework assignments handed in on deadline.

Perhaps it is time for an update. In Serie A this season, injury time belongs to Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari. The Sardinians have endured a difficult season, sitting joint-second from bottom in the table, but the outlook could be a lot worse.

Against Frosinone last October, they did something no Serie A team had ever done before: winning after trailing by three goals in the 71st minute. Cagliari were still 3-2 down in the 90th, but Leonardo Pavoletti struck twice to give them a 4-3 win. Two months later, they recovered from a losing position again in time added on to beat Sassuolo 2-1.

All of this is to say that Napoli should have known better than to believe the job was finished as their match at Cagliari ticked past 95 minutes played. The Partenopei were leading 1-0 from a Victor Osimhen header midway through the second half. Both Matteo Politano and Giovanni Simeone had missed opportunities to extend their advantage late on. With seconds remaining, Alberto Dossena lumped one last hopeful ball toward the Napoli penalty area from his own half. Juan Jesus misread the flight and allowed Zito Luvumbo to slip behind. The Cagliari forward let it bounce, controlled with his