"I'll slap you": fiery threat sparks Spalletti row with Cagliari coach

The matter developed quickly

Juventus' 1-1 draw away at Cagliari in Serie A ended with both managers in the referee's notebook. They traded sharp words after the final whistle, and the official sent each of them off.

Beating Atalanta had set Juventus up for a winning run, but Maldini's 20th-minute goal left them chasing the game at the Unipol Domus. Kolo Muani spared them defeat with an 81st-minute equaliser. The French striker then wasted another opening that would have won it.

Tension boiled over at the handshake between Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti and Cagliari head coach Pisacane.

Lip-reading analysis presented by "DAZN" suggests Spalletti went after his opposite number for time-wasting, telling him: "Well done on wasting time."

From there it got worse. The Cagliari manager grabbed Spalletti's arm, prompting the Juventus boss to ask him: "What are you doing?" Pisacane shot back: "No, what are you doing?" Spalletti then shouted threateningly: "I'll slap you." Members of both coaching staffs piled in to separate them, and the referee settled it by sending both off.

Spalletti plays down the incident

Afterwards, Spalletti shrugged the whole thing off. He said he had told the Cagliari manager his team play well but also know how to waste time, and that was what set his counterpart off.

"Nothing happened," the Juventus manager said. "I told him they are good, that they play well, and that they know how to waste time, so he said to me: 'What do you mean we waste time?' Then the referee sent us off. Nothing special, everything completely normal."

Pisacane took the sarcastic route, suggesting the pair could have ended with a hug rather than a red card. He also had a message for his counterpart: Juventus' frustration at failing to beat Cagliari in the sixth round should make his own players proud.