Napoli 5-1 Juventus: Five-star leaders go 10 points clear in Serie A

By Sports Desk January 13, 2023

Napoli ended Juventus' eight-match winning run without conceding in Serie A with an emphatic 5-1 victory in Friday's top-of-the-table clash to move 10 points clear at the summit.

Juve had gone on a remarkable run of form since losing to Milan in early October, but their defence was finally breached by Victor Osimhen with 14 minutes played.

Osimhen turned provider by playing in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for Napoli's second at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, but Angel Di Maria pulled one back before half-time.

However, Luciano Spalletti's side pulled clear through another goal from Osimhen, either side of strikes from Amir Rrahmani and Elif Elmas, to put one hand on the Scudetto.

Napoli edged in front when Wojciech Szczesny palmed Kvaratskhelia's acrobatic attempt into the path of Osimhen for a simple finish from close range.

Di Maria sent a dipping effort against the crossbar, but Kvaratskhelia doubled Napoli's lead with a composed finish after Bremer's error allowed Osimhen to play his team-mate in.

Juve gave themselves a lifeline through Di Maria's low finish past Szczesny after exchanging passes with Arkadiusz Milik, though Napoli should have cut out the danger.

Meret did brilliantly to prevent Rrahmani putting into his own net and that proved an even bigger save when the same player fired in on the half-volley from a corner.

The hosts were out of sight with 65 minutes gone as, after more sloppy play from Bremer, Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen again linked up for the latter to header across Szczesny.

Elmas, brought on at half-time for the injured Matteo Politano, added a fifth for Napoli with a shot that deflected in off Alex Sandro to round off a five-star showing.

Related items

  • IPL: Sunrisers cruise to victory to boost second-place hopes IPL: Sunrisers cruise to victory to boost second-place hopes

    Sunrisers Hyderabad eased to a four-wicket win over Punjab Kings on Sunday to boost their chances of finishing second in the Indian Premier League.

    Prabhsimran Singh helped Punjab set a target of 215, but Hyderabad chased that down with relative ease to go second, a position they will finish in should Rajasthan Royals lose to the table-topping Kolkata Knight Riders later on Sunday.

    After the Sunrisers won the toss and put Punjab in to bat, Prabhsimran top scored with 71 runs from 45 deliveries, while Atharva Taide (46 off 27) and Rilee Roussouw (49 from 24) also impressed as the Kings, already out of playoff contention, finished on 214/5.

    Hyderabad's chase got off to a terrible start as Travis Head was bowled with the first ball of the innings, but the Sunrisers' other opener Abhishek Sharma helped to steady the ship alongside Rahul Tripathi.

    Abhishek smashed his way to 66 off 28 deliveries before he was dismissed, while an important innings from Heinrich Klaasen (42 from 26) set the Sunrisers up for victory.

    Abdul Samad and Sanvir Singh finished the job as the Sunrisers reached their target with five balls to spare, and they can now look ahead to their playoff campaign.

    Data debrief: Abhishek wastes no time

    The Sunrisers overcame Head's second IPL golden duck thanks to a brilliant innings from Abhishek, who reached his half-century in just 21 balls and finished with a strike rate of 235.71.

    Tripathi and Klaasen achieved strike rates of 183.33 and 161.53 respectively, while Nitish Kumar Reddy also finished with 37 from 25 deliveries as Hyderabad made light work of a daunting target.

  • Montero to coach Juventus until end of the season Montero to coach Juventus until end of the season

    Paolo Montero will take charge of Serie A side Juventus for the remainder of the season following the dismissal of Massimiliano Allegri.

    Juventus sacked their former head coach Allegri on Friday over his behaviour during and after this week's Coppa Italia final in which he was sent off, ending a long period of speculation over his future.

    Montero, who coaches Juventus' Under-19s team, will take charge for their remaining two matches, at Bologna on Monday and against Monza at home on May 26.

    The 52-year-old Uruguayan won four Serie A titles playing for Juventus as a defender from 1996 to 2005 and will take his first training session on Sunday.

    "Paolo is a Juventus legend, firstly on the pitch, and someone who has long been a bearer of the club's DNA on the bench," Juve said in a statement.

    "Best of luck, Paolo!"

    Juve are assured of Champions League qualification but could still finish between third and fifth in Serie A this season.

  • Guardiola: Foden can still get better after Player of the Year award Guardiola: Foden can still get better after Player of the Year award

    Pep Guardiola thinks Phil Foden can still get better, after the 23-year-old winning the Premier League’s Player of the Year.

    Foden has been a pivotal part of City’s title challenge this season, scoring 17 goals and providing eight assists in the top-flight in 2023-24.

    It is the youngster’s most prolific scoring season for City, while only six players have bettered Foden’s goal haul in the Premier League.

    When asked about the strides that Foden has made this season, leading him to the award, Guardiola praised the England international’s influence on the squad.

    "Obviously, he makes a step forward as a football player. In terms of minutes or time, but he's decisive in winning games," Guardiola said.

    "Maybe before it was a glimpse of action, but now it's consistent. That is the truth, but they still have a margin. Sometimes his game is overexcited, it's over, and you have to be more calm because his excitement he has for himself, but we'll have question of time, but this season has been really, really important. Really, really important."

    Foden has bettered his tally of 11 goals from last season and leads City’s squad for chances created this campaign with 68.

    "He's moving forward, but I had the feeling he can be better, and I think he can do it because I've said many times, that he loves football," Guardiola added.

    "He enjoys being on the pitch, and I think the feeling doesn't like when you have the day off.

    "He likes to be in the training session doing less or more and I had the feeling it still can be better."

    Manchester City can win a fourth-consecutive Premier League title on Sunday against West Ham, if they can match or better Arsenal's result.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.