Cagliari were held to a 1-1 draw by visitors Bari in the Italian Serie B promotion playoff final first leg on Thursday as an early goal from Gianluca Lapadula was cancelled out by a late penalty by Mirco Antenucci.
The winners of the tie will earn a place in Serie A for the 2023-24 season, along with Frosinone and Genoa.
Lapadula scored after nine minutes with a well-executed header, giving Claudio Ranieri's Cagliari the lead and boosting their hopes of returning to the top flight after a one-year absence.
Substitute Antenucci converted a penalty for Bari six minutes into stoppage time after Michael Folorunsho was fouled.
Bari finished the season in third position, five points ahead of Cagliari in fifth. The teams meet in the second leg on Sunday.