Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen’s late header earned Serie A title chasers Napoli a 1-1 draw at Cagliari on Monday.
With both leaders AC Milan and second-placed Inter Milan dropping points over the weekend, the door was left open for Napoli to return to the summit with victory in Sardinia, but the visitors struggled to really get going.
The hosts had much the better chances throughout the contest, with Gaston Pereiro’s second-half strike that squirmed through the hands of Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina giving them a deserved 58th-minute lead.
Ospina pulled off two superb late saves to keep Napoli in the match, and his efforts proved crucial as, down the other end, Osimhen climbed highest to head home a dramatic equaliser three minutes from time.
The undeserved point for the visitors leaves them third in the standings, but they did at least close the gap to Milan at the top to two points.
Cagliari will rue plenty of missed chances throughout the game, as they remain in the relegation zone after missing out on two vital points.
Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti felt his side were fortunate to be able to return to Naples with anything to show for their efforts.
“I must recognise our good attitude, but we must also recognise that we have to offer so much more than tonight,” he told DAZN. “The quality that we have is wasted if we don’t use it. Then matches are decided by others.
“We made mistakes in our build-up play and we were hesitant too often. Today we did little in the match and we didn’t have the ball enough. It could have been a much worse result.”
