Cagliari 0-4 Napoli: Partenopei continue strong start to Conte's reign with convincing win over hosts

Napoli ascended, at least momentarily, to the pinnacle of Serie A following a commanding 4-0 victory over Cagliari at the Sardegna Arena. This win marked Antonio Conte's continued dominance over the Islanders, achieving 10 victories in 14 encounters.

The match began quietly, but Napoli took the lead within 18 minutes, thanks to the advancing center-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo. His shot from the edge of the box deflected off a defender, misleading Simone Scuffet and finding its way into the far corner.

Cagliari responded effectively, with Paulo Azzi cutting in to unleash a powerful shot that required a deft save from Alex Meret, who tipped the ball around the post shortly thereafter.

Following a brief interruption midway through the first half, Meret again showcased his skills by denying Roberto Piccoli’s close-range header, allowing Napoli to maintain their lead at halftime.

Cagliari continued to press for an equalizer early in the second half, with Meret saving a diving header from Sebastiano Luperto and later brilliantly deflecting Razvan Marin’s long-range effort onto the crossbar.

Nevertheless, Napoli remained a threat on the counterattack, and the lethal Khvicha Kvaratskhelia calmly slotted the ball past Scuffet, extending the Partenopei's lead.

A significant defensive error then permitted the Georgian to assist Romelu Lukaku, who capitalized on the mistake and calmly placed the ball into the bottom corner, marking his seventh goal in eight matches against Cagliari.

In stoppage time, the visitors added a fourth goal, as Alessandro Buongiorno headed in from a corner, further compounding the hosts' woes. Cagliari has now failed to score in three matches this season and finds themselves second from the bottom, with only one win in 27 encounters against Napoli.

Conversely, the visitors have secured three consecutive league victories under Conte, who maintains an unblemished record against Cagliari's manager Davide Nicola after four meetings.