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It was four long months that Cagliari had to wait for Gianluca Lapadula, who was recovering from an injury to his right ankle; on top of that, he was their main goal scorer to achieve promotion to Serie A. Now, this scenario meant that the 'Bambino' was not available for the Peruvian National Team in the first four matches of the Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States, and Mexico (we drew with Paraguay and lost against Brazil, Chile, and Argentina).
However, the wait to see him back on the field is over. Last Wednesday, the 'Bambino' made it clear that his goalscoring instinct is intact, after scoring the winning goal for his team to defeat Udinese (in extra time) in the Copa Italia.
After the match, Gianluca Lapadula could not hide his excitement for his return and the celebration, which had a special dedication and a message from the Peruvian National Team player. Please note, with this scenario, he would be included in Juan Reynoso's squad for the matches against Bolivia and Venezuela, in La Paz and Lima, respectively.
"Without a doubt, I dedicate the goal to my three daughters. It was an intense summer, but I believed in it and worked hard. I am happy for the team and the fans. I want to thank the coach and the team. It all started last year, but this is just the beginning. Has the real Cagliari returned? Absolutely, yes," the striker said in an interview with Mediaset.
The present of Cagliari
With this victory, Cagliari advanced to the round of 16 in the Copa Italia. In this stage, they will face AC Milan, the former team of Gianluca Lapadula. The match is scheduled for January 2, 2024, and it will be the first game for the 'Rossoblu' in the new year.
Regarding Serie A, the tournament that Cagliari returned to this season, they have a poor position: second to last with six points, in 10 games played. For this reason, the return of the Peruvian National Team striker is also key to climb up from the bottom of the standings.
Lapadula, a goal-scoring option for Peru
A few weeks before playing the Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada, and the United States, the return of the Italo-Peruvian player makes him another option for Juan Reynoso. The striker was a starter in the previous process and now he is poised to make a strong comeback, considering the need for the 'blanquirroja' to earn points. Currently, Peru is in second to last place, with only one point (we drew with Paraguay and subsequently lost to Brazil, Chile, and Argentina).
Another detail to take into account is that the 'Ajedrecista' team has failed to score in four matches. In addition, they have very little clarity in the attacking third. That is why Lapadula would have all the chances to be called up as one of the foreign players.
Just like in the Qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, he could make an impact in the matches against Bolivia (in La Paz on November 16) and Venezuela (in Lima on November 21); it was precisely against 'Vinotinto' that he scored his first goal in a previous World Cup process.
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