24th April, 2023
A stoppage-time goal by forward Giacomo Raspadori earned runaway leaders Napoli a 1-0 win at Juventus on Sunday.
The result leaves them on the brink of claiming their first Serie A title since 1990 after the hosts had two goals ruled out following VAR reviews.
Raspadori came off the bench to fire Napoli 17 points clear on 78 points and they could claim their third Serie A championship next weekend if they beat Salernitana and second-placed Lazio fail to win at Inter Milan.
Juventus, who returned to the top four when a 15-point deduction over the club’s transfer dealings was scrapped on Thursday pending a new hearing, remained third on 59 points.
They are two points behind second-placed Lazio who lost against Torino on Saturday.
A goalless first half saw defensive Juventus allowing Napoli to enjoy the lion’s share of possession, awaiting chances to counter-attack.
The approach did not result in many chances for either side and Juve managed only three shots on target.
Napoli’s first attempt of significance came five minutes into the second half from winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia but keeper Wojciech Szczesny did well to keep his low strike out.
The game sprung to life with 20 minutes left when Napoli came close to taking the lead through striker Victor Osimhen who fired inches wide of the post.
A minute later Osimhen connected with a corner but headed the ball into the arms of Szczesny and soon after this season’s Serie A top scorer sent the ball narrowly over the bar.
Juventus, clearly fired up, thought they had taken the lead with a stunning solo effort by Angel Di Maria in the 82nd minute.
The goal was, however, cancelled out after a VAR check for Arkadiusz Milik’s tackle on Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka in the build up.
Late substitute Dusan Vlahovic then found the net for Juventus in added time but his effort was ruled out as well because the ball left the pitch before Federico Chiesa’s cross.
Napoli then sealed their eighth away league win in a row through Raspadori, who beat Szczesny with a volley following a beautiful lofted cross by midfielder Eljif Elmas.
“I congratulated the team because they played a good game after (Tuesday’s) Champions League exit, which is always dramatic because you have a lot of thoughts and you carry some fatigue with you.
“To do more than that today was difficult,” Spaletti told reporters.
Juventus have suffered their first three-game losing streak in Serie A since 2011 after a 1-0 loss to Sassuolo saw them fall to consecutive league defeats for the first time this term.
They are winless in five of their last six games in all competitions.
“We played a good game against a strong Napoli.
“It wasn’t easy to spend four months in those conditions, finding the energy and concentration to get results,”said Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, referring to their points deduction that was imposed in January. (Reuters/NAN)