Napoli-Lazio 0-1: goal by Vecino. Spalletti stops, Sarri second

Napoli demonstrates its human condition and for one evening there are no Martians at Maradona. It can happen and it shouldn’t be a drama for a leaders who in any case sleep with a +18 on the second, now precisely Sarri’s team. Merit of a Lazio with an academy defensive phase and also of the lack of brilliance of the home forwards. Napoli’s home unbeaten run falls (they hadn’t lost since 10 April 2022, 2-3 with Fiorentina) who appeared to be in a slight physical decline. The last knockout came on January 4 at San Siro against Inter. Spalletti will have to evaluate the situation well especially in terms of the Champions League because Eintracht will arrive here in just over 10 days and will need the best Napoli, the one with 8 victories in a row before tonight and seen many times this season. Even if first there will be a very difficult test with Atalanta. An international level performance for Lazio. From Champions. Too bad for their ultras who played their own game amid offensive chants, firecrackers and smoke bombs, and it is not known how much in support of the Biancocelesti colours.

new neighbor

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On the initial formations, the only novelty comes from Sarri, who prefers Vecino to Cataldi and the Uruguayan gives the first big jolt after 5 ‘. Punishment by Luis Alberto, shot by Vecino, Meret is beaten but Di Lorenzo saves incredibly on the line. Lazio are better placed on the pitch, short and aggressive and Napoli suffers despite Spalletti’s being the best possible formation. The Azzurri are less brilliant than usual, also because Lazio leaves very few spaces and Anguissa and his teammates run little without the ball. Sometimes they force the pass, making it wrong: technical errors almost never seen this season at Maradona. Better in the high re-aggression, the leaders, but of very few occasions. Only a deflected shot by Anguissa and a central one by Zielinski, from the edge of an area which Napoli cannot enter. Lazio is better than with Milinkovic and Anderson arriving dangerously at the shot, foiled by Kim and Meret.

pass lazio

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The second half starts with a more aggressive Napoli that tries to raise the pace, one of the few good actions comes out with Di Lorenzo serving Osimhen vertically, the Nigerian’s unmarking heel but Zielinski does not show his best left foot. A compact Lazio starts to believe it and goes through with a nice goal from Vecino: the Uruguayan takes advantage of a short header from Kvara and from twenty meters away he launches a great counterbound right foot, elusive for Meret. Napoli is not very lucid, but proud. Osimhen’s header hits the crossbar, Kim’s goal-bound rebound and Provedel’s great reactivity. Spalletti plays all the cards and switches to a 4-2-4 with Elmas and Ndombele in the middle with Simeone next to Osimhen and Politano and Kvara wide. The pressure rises but the Sarri line resists.