Napoli 2-1 Lazio
Napoli are still alive in the Serie A title race after surviving a late challenge from powerhouse Lazio at the Stadio San Paolo.
Of course, a defeat wouldn’t end their championship hopes, but the Partenopei know very well that they would have had a more difficult path getting back to the fight and toppling reigning champions Juventus from the summit.
It should also help that Napoli consolidated the second place, which should allow them to focus more on cutting the lead at the top without worrying about third-placed Inter Milan surpassing them.
Lazio put up a valiant fight, particularly in a highly-physical second half, but it wasn’t enough to give them a much-needed point in their quest for a top-four finish.
Highlights of the game
Two first-half goals put Napoli on their way to victory, with Lazio getting unlucky in the second canto after going down to just 10 men.
Jose Callejon and Arkadiusz Milik scored three minutes apart, and that was what all Napoli needed to ensure they remain within sights of pace-setters Juventus.
With Napoli missing injured captain Marek Hamsik and forward Lorenzo Insigne, as well as suspended defender Kalidou Koulibaly, Carlo Ancelotti’s men were aware they need to step up and pick up the slack left by the three.
Remarkably, the team responded big time and could have scored more in a dominant first half.
Callejon opened the scoring for the home team in the 34th minute, with the 31-year-old Spaniard picked out by Dries Mertens from the left wing. Callejon beat two Lazio defenders to the ball before firing past keeper Thomas Strakosha and onto the bottom right corner.
Before Simone Inzaghi’s charges could regroup, Napoli struck again to get a comfortable two-goal lead at halftime.
Milik launched a beautiful free kick from near the edge of the box, leaving Strakosha with no chance at all.
Napoli picked up where they left off after the interval, consistently threatening the Lazio goal. In fact, Fabian Ruiz and Callejon struck the woodwork to the frustration of the home fans in attendance.
The visiting Biancocelesti got back in the game moments after the hour when club top-scorer Ciro Immobile delivered a well-taken and well-timed low shot against Napoli defender Albiol.
However, their fightback didn’t last long and all their hopes diminished when Francesco Acerbi was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Callejon.
Undermanned Lazio tried hard to get the equaliser but to no avail. Napoli held on as the visitors pressed for one last attempt on the goal.
“We were missing a lot of players, but you really couldn’t tell at all, which shows our strength in depth,” Ancelotti said, per Channel News Asia. “We had moments of difficulty, some of which we could have dealt with better and there were some naive errors, but overall there was a lot of quality.”
Key statistics
The Serie A 2019 odds at SBOBET suggested a tight affair, and the post-match statistics would agree.
Napoli had 52 percent possession and 17 attempts on goal, not that far from Lazio’s 13 shots. Furthermore, the home team had 13 on-target efforts while the visitors had nine.
All in all, the difference between the two clubs is that Napoli had the better opportunities. They had 10 goal-scoring chances and shot four times against the post.
Here are more interesting numbers and figures from the fixture:
- Callejon’s goal is his first this season. He scored 10 for the team last campaign.
- Milik’s strike is his 11th league goal of the season, keeping him atop Napoli’s goal-scoring charts.
- Acerbi’s hopes of breaking Javier Zanetti’s record of 162 straight appearances in the Italian top-flight ended. He has appeared in 149 Serie A games but will be suspended due to his ejection.
- Lazio have only won three times since November, accumulating a 3-5-2 win-draw-loss record during that span. They haven’t won in their last two, playing out a 1-1 draw with Torino before losing to Napoli.
What’s next?
With the latest set of Serie A 2019 results, Napoli would be able to keep the second spot for at least two weeks. Inter played out a goalless draw in their encounter with Sassulo, while Roma beat Torino 3-2.
Lazio, on the other hand, dropped to fifth after their defeat—with Roma climbing up and occupying the last remaining Champions League spot.
Napoli face AC Milan next at the Giuseppe Meazza, while Lazio have a tough test of credentials when they host Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico.
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