ROME: For a team that lost their captain, all-time leading scorer and defensive stalwart in the offseason, Napoli has filled in the holes masterfully.
With every match, it seems, the southern club discovers a new weapon.
After midfielder Piotr Zieliński shined in the attention-getting 4-1 win over Liverpool in the Champions League, reserve striker Giacomo Raspadori scored his first goal for Napoli in the 89th minute of a 1-0 victory over Spezia in Serie A on Saturday.
The last-gasp win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona moved unbeaten Napoli atop the Italian league standings, one point ahead of Atalanta, which can reclaim the lead when they host promoted Cremonese on Sunday.
Defending champion AC Milan, which were playing at Sampdoria later, could also move level on points with Napoli.
Napoli are chasing their first league title since Maradona led the club to their only two Serie A championships in 1987 and 1990.
Raspadori, the 22-year-old loaned from Sassuolo, started in the place of injured Victor Osimhen and coach Luciano Spalletti kept him on to the end despite substituting most of his other attacking players.
Spalletti’s decision paid off when Raspadori put himself in position to redirect a cross from Hirving Lozano and fire inside the back post.
“These are all starting points for me,” Raspadori said. “I had missed two chances but I was able to remain lucid.”
It was just what Napoli had in mind when they agreed to the loan deal, which requires the club to purchase Raspadori’s full rights at the end of the season for 30 million euros ($30 million).
What’s more is that Raspadori became Napoli’s eighth different scorer in Serie A this season, tied for the most in the league with Inter Milan.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the 21-year-old Georgia winger who has already scored four goals and was named Serie A’s player of the month for August, showed off his skills again on the left flank when he dribbled through the legs of two defenders on the same play in the first half.
A few minutes later, “Kvara” was at it again with more dizzying dribbling moves to shake off his markers. His shot this time was a bit more precise but Spezia goalkeeper Bartłomiej Drągowski smothered his effort in front of the near post.
Zieliński came on as a second-half substitute and made an immediate impact, producing a long-range shot that Poland teammate Drągowski had to palm over the crossbar.
Spezia also threatened on occasion and center back Amir Rrahmani had to clear a shot off the line amid chaos within Napoli’s defense.
In all, Napoli are doing well to move on after former captain Lorenzo Insigne left for Toronto FC, record scorer Dries Mertens went to Galatasarary and physical defender Kalidou Koulibaly joined Chelsea.
South Korea center back Kim Min-jae, Koulibaly’s replacement, was rested after he, too, has made a big impact.
“There’s a great atmosphere within the team. Everyone is very welcoming, which is important for someone shy like me joining a squad like this,” Raspadori said.
Spalletti was sent off with his second yellow card amid scuffles after Raspadori’s goal, which also resulted in a red card for Spezia’s goalkeepers coach.
Up next for Napoli are a visit to Rangers in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Raspadori is Napoli’s latest new weapon in unbeaten start
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Raspadori is Napoli’s latest new weapon in unbeaten start
- Reserve striker Giacomo Raspadori scored his first goal for Napoli in the 89th minute
- Napoli are chasing their first league title since Maradona led the club to their only two Serie A championships in 1987 and 1990
Inter continue Scudetto march after Champions League humbling
- Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto
MILAN, Italy: Inter Milan bounced back from Champions League elimination with Saturday’s 2-0 win over Genoa which continued their march toward the Serie A title.
Federico Dimarco’s brilliant volley just after the half-hour mark and Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty were enough for Inter to extend their already huge lead over AC Milan at the top of the table to 13 points.
Milan will be favorites to win at Cremonese in Sunday’s early fixture, with the local rivals set to face off next weekend in a match which will in all likelihood have little impact on the destination of the Scudetto.
Inter, whose fans unloaded a collection of anti-Milan chants in anticipation of the derby, have dropped just two points in 15 league matches and have been a cut above the rest in Italy’s top flight this season.
Their domestic dominance comes in stark contrast to the humiliating manner in which they were dumped out of the Champions League by Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday night.
A 5-2 aggregate defeat to the Norwegian minnows cast doubts over not just the quality of Cristian Chivu’s team but of Italian football as a whole.
There was plenty of quality in Dimarco’s opener however, the Italy full-back beautifully placing a first-time finish from a tight angle after exchanging passes with Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Little else happened in a humdrum encounter until Alex Amorim handled a cross from Luis Henrique, whose shot had been tipped onto the post just moments before.
Calhanoglu calmly stroked home the spot-kick on his return to action following niggling muscle problems which have caused him issues since before Christmas, sealing the points for Inter.
Big Rom back
Romelu Lukaku kept Napoli on course for a Champions League spot with a last-gasp winner in the champions’ 2-1 victory over rock-bottom Verona, the Belgium forward’s first goal of the season.
Lukaku forced home Giovane’s cross to snatch the win for third-placed Napoli with the last kick of the game at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
Napoli had looked like dropping points in northern Italy when Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro levelled Rasmus Hojlund’s early opener in the 65th minute.
But Lukaku, who only played his first game of the season in late January, gave Napoli a huge win with both Como and Atalanta pushing for a top-four placing.
“I was a dead player before coming here,” said Lukaku to DAZN.
“This season has been difficult, but we’ve got to aim high.”
Napoli’s title defense is all but over as they trail Inter by 14 points after an injury-ravaged season.
Napoli were missing key midfielders Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne and Andre-Frank Anguissa on Saturday, as well as captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Verona, under interim coach Paolo Sammarco following the sacking of Paolo Zanetti earlier this month, are 10 points from safety after a 12th straight match without a win.
Como, who face Inter in the first leg of the Italian Cup semifinals on Tuesday, strolled to 3-1 victory over strugglers Lecce to continue their push for a first-ever qualification for European football.
Cesc Fabregas’s team are two points behind Roma, in fourth and Juventus’ opponents on Sunday, and five behind Napoli.
Como are also two points ahead of sixth-placed Juve who face Roma trying to stay in touch with the Champions League places after being eliminated from Europe’s elite club competition by Galatasaray on Wednesday.
