Giacomo Raspadori’s late strike helped Napoli secure a 1-0 win against Juventus in Turin, just like Kalidou Koulibaly had done five years earlier, but this time a different ending awaits the Partenopei writes Lorenzo Bettoni in Turin.
“Same result, same minute, different ending.” That’s how Napoli celebrated Giacomo Raspadori’s late goal against Juventus and the resulting 1-0 victory at the Allianz Stadium, their second-sever in the Bianconeri’s ‘new home’ for the Azzurri. Napoli’s tweet mentioned the other famous win in Turin, precisely from five years earlier (April 22, 2018) and inspired by a Kalidou Koulibaly goal in the stoppages.
At that time, the Partenopei coached by Maurizio Sarri, were in contention to win the title with Juventus and their victory up north helped them move one point behind the Bianconeri in the Serie A table. Their title hopes, however, collapsed the following week when the Old Lady secured a controversial 3-2 win at Inter – you may remember the Nerazzurri’s protests regarding a potential red card for Miralem Pjanic – while Sarri’s men suffered a 3-0 loss at Fiorentina the following day.
After the game at the Stadio Franchi, Sarri said that tensions caused by the controversial refereeing decisions in the Juventus match affected his team so much that they “lost the title in their hotel” the night before.
This time, the ending will be different for the Partenopei. Their third Serie A title in history is just around the corner and Napoli players can put their hands on it next week if they beat Salernitana in the derby della Campania and Inter win or draw against Lazio at San Siro the following day.
Timing won’t make the difference anyway. Celebrations in town have already begun. Over 10.000 fans welcomed the team at Naples’ Capodichino airport last night, while flags, shirts and giant posters of Napoli players have already been placed around the city for more than a month.
Five years ago Koulibaly, now at Chelsea, beat Juventus with a towering header from a corner kick after minute 90. On Sunday night, Raspadori had the same timing and scored at the near post, catching Wojciech Szczęsny off guard. Victor Osimhen had had a chance to score in the same fashion as Koulibaly around minute 70, but the Poland keeper blocked his shot.
The final prize was worth the wait. The many Napoli fans in Juventus’ home sections as well as those in the away end, exploded in joy when they saw Raspa find the net in the stoppages. It meant they hadn’t only beaten their harshest rivals, but also that those three points made their title dream as close as ever.
Sarri’s Napoli collected 91 points in 2017-18, four short of Allegri’s Juventus and many thought it would have taken years, if not decades, for the Partenopei to build another team worthy of the Serie A title. It took a while to be fair, first with Carlo Ancelotti and then with Gennaro Gattuso in charge.
When the likes of Koulibaly, Lorenzo Insigne, Fabian Ruiz and Dries Mertens left the Stadio Maradona last summer, many pundits thought the Azzurri wouldn’t even be able to secure a top-four finish this term. On the contrary, they dominated the season, playing one of the best brands of football in Europe, if not the best, for several months.
Their third, long-awaited Scudetto is just around the corner and lifting the trophy after another historic victory in Turin is the icing on the cake for Spalletti’s men.