Inter were counting down the days to dethrone Naples but today the reigning Serie A champions pulled away proudly to start 1-1 at the San Siro to cap a week where Both teams were eliminated in the Champions League round of 16 against Atlético and Barcelona respectively.
Inter saw the brakes their streak of ten league wins in a row and, although Milan won at Verona (1-3), they have the ‘scudetto’ within reach with a 14 point lead nine days from the end of Serie A.
Napoli, with Osimhen on the bench
For Naples the draw has a lot of merit but it doesn’t bring them any closer to the Champions League positions. On the contrary, because Bologna, fourth, has 9 points and Roma 6, which will also qualify if Italy wins an additional place.
The battle between the two top scorers last season, Victor Osimhen and Lautaro Martínez, This is one of the attractions between the still champion of Serie A and the one who will be in a few weeks. But in the end the Nigerian striker was left on the bench due to some discomfort.
Meret, an octopus
Inter began to dominate the opposition as usual and managed to take the lead on three occasions before the end of the quarter of an hour, but Alex Meret He blocked Matteo Darmian’s first flat shot after Federico Dimarco’s cross, Lautaro Martínez’s second point-blank attempt before Nicolò Barella sent a third straight shot high.
A compact Naples defended itself well, although it did not threaten Yann Sommer, as Inter lost steam as the minutes ticked by and dropped their high tempo play.
Darmian culminates a great collective play
But just before the break, with Napoli less harassed, the goal came on a well-executed play by Inter, who moved the ball from right to left until Darmian headed home a low cross from Alessandro Bastoni from the penalty spot spot ( 43′) .
Inter came back after the break with renewed vigor. Although he later showed fatigue from extra time at the Metropolitano, the team Simone Inzaghi He pressed Naples again and Meret prevented Lautaro from beating him with his shot in the first minute.
The Belgian goalkeeper kept his team alive for a few moments after excellently deflecting a shot by Dimarco from outside the area that hit the post (53′).
Naples fights back and draws
Napoli resisted and even Finally Khvicha Kvaratskhelia appeared a shot that didn’t put Sommer in trouble. Without Osimhen and with the Georgian at low level, Juan Jesus took advantage of a corner to tie (80′).
The Brazilian center back ended his great defensive performance, practically nullifying Lautaro Martínez, by pushing single-handedly at the far post the ball that Bastoni accidentally headed in first in his attempt to clear.
Calzona, undefeated in Serie A
Six days without defeat Napoli, fifth since the arrival of Francesco Calzonaand this point fuels his hopes of finally finding the consistency that will allow him to return to the Champions League.
match lineup
1
36
32
95
fifteen
28
23
22
10
9
twenty
1
22
17
68
13
5
99
8
81
twenty-one
77
Giuseppe Meazza Stadium
Alex Meret1
42′
83′
Giovanni DiLorenzo22
78′
Mathias Olivera17
73′
Stanislav Lobotka68
51′
Amir Rrahmani13
35′
Four. five’
John Jesus5
80′
53′
70′
Frank Anguissa99
Hamed Traore8
69′
78′
Giacomo Raspadori81
74′
Matteo Politanotwenty-one
91′
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia77
90′
Replacements
Nikita Contini14
Pierluigi Gollini95
78′
Nathan3
Mario Rui6
73′
Four. five’
Pasquale Mazzocchi30
Leo Ostigard55
70′
Piotr Zielinskitwenty
83′
Maybe Jens24
69′
Jesper Lindström29
90′
Leander Dendoncker32
Victor Osimhen9
78′
Giovanni Simeone18
74′
Cyril Ngonge26
91′
coach
Simone Inzaghi
Francesco Calzona
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
