COMO, ITALY:
Napoli missed the possibility to return to the highest of Serie A in a shocking 2-1 loss to Como on the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Sunday, because the title-chasing guests’ winless streak prolonged to 4 matches.
Napoli suffered their first defeat in 11 Serie A matches and stay second with 56 factors from 26 video games, one level behind reigning champions Inter Milan. Promoted Como are thirteenth on 28 factors.
Napoli acquired off to a nightmare begin when Kosovan centre again Amir Rrahmani gifted the result in Como within the seventh minute by sending Matteo Politano’s throw-in into his personal internet, with goalkeeper Alex Meret effectively off his line, to the despair of supervisor Antonio Conte.
Ten minutes later, ahead Giacomo Raspadori pounced on some sloppy defending to fit the ball previous Como keeper Jean Butez and degree issues up for Napoli.
Nonetheless, winger Assane Diao netted a 77th-minute winner for Como with a shocking end after selecting up midfielder Nico Paz’s exact move. The 19-year-old Diao has now scored in three straight Serie A video games.
“I am having fun with myself, every single day even in coaching, and I feel this additionally reveals on the pitch. I’ve to thank the workforce, the coach and the membership for all the pieces they’re giving me,” Como match-winner Diao advised DAZN.
“I’ve to be free on the pitch, I really feel loads of the boldness that (Como head coach Cesc) Fabregas provides me and this permits me to be free on the pitch.”
Other than the own-goal blunder, Napoli have been the higher aspect with 60% possession within the opening half and seemed extra threatening.
However Como have been far superior after the break and their efforts weren’t in useless as they clinched their second Serie A victory over Napoli, with the primary coming in 1952.
Scott McTominay practically put Napoli forward within the second half however Butez was in place to disclaim the midfielder. Rrahmani practically snatched what would have been a vital level for Napoli within the dying minutes of the sport however his shot went simply large.
“It is undoubtedly a setback that hurts due to the way in which it got here, as a result of on a psychological degree we confirmed cracks, identical to within the final three video games the place we all the time acquired caught up,” Conte mentioned.
“I feel the boys are actually giving their finest however we have to make a path and provides time to develop, not solely from a technical-tactical standpoint but in addition when it comes to mentality.
“Then we have been taking part in because the starting of the 12 months with this strain, which luckily we introduced on ourselves: being there on the high of the desk or at the very least being shut.
“This was completely not anticipated. Now we’ve to face it in one of the simplest ways, making an attempt to analyse why within the second half the others confirmed extra nastiness, they gained all of the duels, they’d extra starvation and extra need.”
Napoli subsequent host Inter, who beat Genoa 1-0 at residence on Saturday, in a blockbuster top-of-the-table conflict on the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona subsequent Saturday.
Inter take high spot after 1-0 win over Genoa
A aim from Lautaro Martinez was sufficient to earn Inter Milan a 1-0 win over Genoa on the San Siro on Saturday and ship the house aspect provisionally high of the Serie A standings.
The win moved Inter to 57 factors, one forward of Napoli who’re away to Como on Sunday, whereas Genoa are twelfth on 30 factors.
Inter got here into the sport on the again of a disappointing run, with one win of their final 4 matches and, with a top-of-the-table conflict with Napoli developing in per week’s time, have been badly in want of a confidence increase.
The hosts laid siege to the Genoa half within the opening 10 minutes with out ever actually making a clear-cut probability.
Inter might discover no means via, their each foray into the Genoa space blocked by a decided and disciplined defence and neither keeper was troubled in a gap half brief on leisure.
Joaquin Correa, making simply his second begin of the marketing campaign, limped off on the break forcing Inter right into a change, with Mehdi Taremi approaching for the second half.
Inter have been already with out the injured Marcus Thuram and have been sorely lacking their high scorer within the league this season.