Napoli beat Juventus 1-0 at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday night and Lorenzo Bettoni in Turin picks out three things you may have missed by watching the match on TV.
Giacomo Raspadori’s late goal allowed Napoli to secure all three points in Turin for the second time ever at the Allianz Stadium, getting closer to their third Serie A title in history.
Football Italia was among the accredited media at the Allianz Stadium last night and highlights three ‘hidden’ moments from the game, which you may have missed by watching it on TV.
Read more – Takeaways from Allegri and Spalletti’s post-match press conferences
Kvarascare
Minute 30 in the first half. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was hit in the face by Juventus defender Federico Gatti who appeared to punch the Georgian star. Kvara remained on the floor for a few minutes and needed medical attention while VAR referee Gianluca Aureliano reviewed the incident with a silent check. It didn’t lead to an on-field review, nor a sanction for the Italian defender – debatable – although Napoli players on the pitch and the bench appealed for a red card.
The Partenopei’s reserves appeared to watch the incident on a small screen in the dugout. They protested against the referee and the fourth official, demanding a red card for their opponent. One of Luciano Spalletti’s assistants approached the Partenopei boss, describing what he had seen, while Napoli players in the dugout were standing watching the screen and were probably scared about the potential consequences for their teammate.
Fans
There were almost 40.000 fans in the stands last night, including more than 2.000 in the away end. However, many more Partenopei fans were sitting in the home sectors of the Allianz Stadium, something quite common in Italy, but not so much elsewhere in Europe, including England.
The proximity of Juventus and Napoli fans created a bit of tension at times, but there were never incidents in any sector of the stadium. After the final whistle, Juventus fans were naturally frustrated while several Partenopei supporters in the main stand waited for the return of their heroes inside the tunnel, holding their blue scarves high.
Others were seen singing outside the stadium’s gates: ‘La capolista se ne va’ (‘The leaders run away’) and ‘Who doesn’t jump is juventino.’
Allegri the peacemaker
Juventus players were furious after Michael Fabbri disallowed an Angel Di Maria goal at minute 82. Mattia Perin and Leonardo Bonucci protested against the fourth official but Allegri urged them to get away and just told Fabbri’s assistant something, with a smile on his face, before returning to the bench.
Juan Cuadrado was in central midfield and appeared particularly frustrated when VAR called Fabbri to review the potential foul in the build-up of Juventus’ goal. The Colombian kicked the ball towards Napoli’s half, predicting the outcome of the on-field review.
@lorebetto