Cagliari moved out of the Serie A relegation zone after a dramatic 2-1 victory against Sassuolo, netting twice in second-half injury-time to snatch a famous three points.
Claudio Ranieri’s side trailed thanks to Martin Erlic’s seventh-minute strike, but they were handed a lifeline when Ruan Tressoldi was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Gianluca Lapadula just after the hour mark.
Even with 10 men, the visitors looked destined to hold on for what would have been a vital victory in their own battle against the drop as they had a goal ruled out for the narrowest of offside calls.
But Lapadula equalised in the fourth minute of added time when he found the top corner after receiving Zito Luvumbo’s pass.
There was more drama to come, as Leonardo Pavoletti sealed the win for the Islanders in the 99th minute in barely believable fashion, converting with a sublime overhead kick after meeting Eldor Shomurodov’s knock-down.
The result lifts Cagliari up from 19th to 16th in the table, one point outside of the bottom three, as they end a run of three top flight fixtures without a victory.
Sassuolo, meanwhile, stay in 15th, although they are only two points above their opponents, thanks to a fifth defeat across their last nine league matches.
Empoli remain in trouble despite Lecce stalemate
That result dumped struggling Empoli back into the relegation zone, after a howler from goalkeeper Etrit Berisha in their 1-1 draw with Lecce.
The Albania international was nutmegged by a dipping 35-yard strike from Lameck Banda that put the visitors ahead just after the hour mark.
However, Aurelio Andreazzoli’s side responded quickly, equalising when defender Hamza Rafia inadvertently diverted a cross into his own net, with the ball looping in off the crossbar having hit him on the leg.
That was no more than the Azzurri deserved, given they had the lion’s share of the possession at Stadio Carlo Castellani, while registering 18 shots across the 90 minutes. They pushed hard for a winner too, with five strikes on goal saved by Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone in the final 20 minutes.
Despite all their efforts, Empoli were forced to settle for a draw that initially saw them move out of the bottom three – until Cagliari’s heroics in the late game.
Roberto D’Aversa’s side, on the other hand, have notched four successive stalemates and are now winless in 10 successive league outings, meaning they sit in 13th place.
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