Cagliari and Lazio settled for a 0-0 stalemate in a match marked by injuries and a late sending-off, with Yerry Mina seeing red for two bookable offences.
Both sides were coming off disappointing results. The Sardinians had their three-match winning streak halted by consecutive losses to Roma and Lecce, while Lazio were held to a 2-2 draw by Juventus before losing to Atalanta.
The injury list was long for both teams. Cagliari were missing Michael Folorunsho, Alessandro Deiola, Gianluca Gaetano, Gennaro Borrelli, Andrea Belotti, and Mattia Felici.
Lazio, meanwhile, were without Pedro, Mario Gila, Toma Basic, Manuel Lazzari, and Samuel Gigot, though Alessio Romagnoli returned from suspension.
Early on, Ze Pedro almost gave Cagliari the lead when his header from a corner struck the outside of the near post after 13 minutes.
Lazio responded with Mattia Zaccagni heading a corner over the bar, while defensive errors almost allowed Adam Marusic’s cross to create chances for the home side.
Cagliari’s Michel Adopo had a golden opportunity when he found himself unmarked six yards out, but his header from Adam Obert’s cross went wide. Zaccagni also came close, sliding in at Marusic’s pull-back, while Sebastiano Esposito’s attempt from Adopo’s assist narrowly missed.
The injury woes continued, with Luca Mazzitelli forced off before halftime due to a calf problem. Lazio, too, suffered a blow as Nicolò Rovella fell awkwardly on his shoulder.
Marco Palestra remained a constant threat, appearing to score in the 69th minute after sending Pellegrini to the ground and firing past Ivan Provedel, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Lazio’s goalkeeper Provedel also tipped Riyad Idrissi’s powerful angled shot over the bar following a strong midfield run.
Cagliari were reduced to 10 men late on as Yerry Mina’s persistent fouling on Tijjani Noslin earned him a second yellow.
The referee initially pointed to the penalty spot but ultimately awarded a free kick. From it, Danilo Cataldi tested Caprile twice, first forcing a tough save at the near post and then seeing a curling effort skim the top corner in stoppage time.
The game ended without a goal, leaving both teams frustrated but with plenty of concern over their growing injury lists.
