PARMA, Italy (AP) — Gaetano Oristanio came on at halftime and scored a late equalizer for Parma against Cagliari in a hard-fought 1-1 home draw in Serie A on Friday.
Oristiano’s goal seven minutes from time earned Parma a point but its poor home form continued. It has won only two of its last 12 home games and has not won two in a row at Stadio Ennio Tardini since January 2020.
Still, it has taken 10 points from its last 12 and moves into 11th place, a point behind Lazio and a point ahead of Udinese.
Michael Folorunsho put Cagliari ahead 18 minutes into the second half with a stunning 30-meter strike.
The midfielder on loan from Napoli missed the last 10 games through injury and was introduced just after the hour mark. Two minutes later, he spied Parma goalkeeper Edoardo Corvi off his line and his dipping shot from near the right touchline flew over Corvi’s head and into the far corner of the net.
The goal was Cagliari’s first since January but leaves it without a win in four games. It sits in 13th spot, six points above the relegation zone.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Parma's Lautaro Valenti, right, fights for the ball with Cagliari's Semin Kilicsoy during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Parma and Cagliari in Parma, Italy, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (Gianni Santandrea/LaPresse via AP)
Parma's Gaetano Pio Oristanio reacs after scoring a goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Parma and Cagliari in Parma, Italy, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (Gianni Santandrea/LaPresse via AP)
Parma's Gaetano Pio Oristanio reacts after scoring a goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Parma and Cagliari in Parma, Italy, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (Gianni Santandrea/LaPresse via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — Neil Sedaka, the hit-making singer-songwriter whose boyish soprano and bright melodies made him a top act in the early years of rock ‘n' roll and led to a second run of success in the 1970s, has died.
Sedaka, whose hits included “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” and “Laughter in the Rain,” died Friday at age 86.
“Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Neil Sedaka,” his family said in a statement. “A true rock and roll legend, an inspiration to millions, but most importantly, at least to those of us who were lucky enough to know him, an incredible human being who will be deeply missed.”
No other details of his death were immediately available.
A key member of the Brill Building songwriting factory, Sedaka teamed with lyricist and boyhood neighbor Howard Greenfield on songs that reflected the teen innocence of the post-Elvis/pre-Beatles era of the late 1950s-early 1960s, including “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen,” “Calendar Girl” and “Oh! Carol,” a lament for his high school sweetheart, Carole King.
After a long dry spell, he reemerged with such smashes as “Laughter in the Rain” and “Bad Blood.” The Captain & Tennille's cover of his “Love Will Keep Us Together” was a chart-topper in 1975.
Short and dark-haired, with a big smile and high-pitched voice, he was a Juilliard-trained, Brooklyn-born son of a Jewish taxi driver who began performing as a teen and kept at it for decades.
Sedaka still played dozens of concerts a year well into his 80s. He retained the enthusiasm and broad vocal range of his youth and never tired of the standards he had sung hundreds of times.
“Past 70, Pavarotti told me the vocal cords are not what they used to be. I’m very fortunate that my voice has held,” he told The Associated Press in 2012. “It’s nice to be a legend, but it’s better to be a working legend.”
Sedaka’s songs sold millions worldwide and have been covered by a range of performers, from Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to The 5th Dimension and Nickelback. Sedaka helped propel the career of Connie Francis with “Stupid Cupid” and “Where the Boys Are,” the latter for the soundtrack of the movie with the same name. The Captain & Tennille received a best-album Grammy thanks largely to “Love Will Keep Us Together” and included a nod to Sedaka at the end of the song, when Toni Tennille exclaimed “Sedaka’s back!”
FILE - Composer Neil Sedaka, and his wife, Leba Sedaka, attend the New York City Ballet's gala opening night of Paul McCartney's "Ocean's Kingdom" on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)
FILE - Neil Sedaka poses for a portrait in New York, Monday, April 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, File)
FILE - Singer and song writer Neil Sedaka appears on the NBC "Today" television show in New York Thursday Oct. 25, 2007. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
FILE - Recording artist Neil Sedaka poses for a portrait Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010 in New York. (AP Photo/Jeff Christensen, File)
