Napoli ends the year in the worst way and is defeated for the third consecutive time at Maradona in the league. After Atalanta and Empoli, this time it is Spezia to pass (0-1) on the field of the Azzurri. A victory, that of the Ligurians, which supports Thiago Motta’s bench in a sensational way and which arrives in a game dominated by the hosts, unable, however, to find the necessary concreteness in the opponent’s penalty area. La Spezia does the bare minimum, just what it takes to take the lead, casually and then live on income, thinking exclusively of defending the loot won. Napoli, for its part, almost always attacks with its head down but with very little lucidity, it also creates several scoring opportunities but overall it is expressed in a subdued tone and also with a completely different reactivity from that shown just last Sunday at San Siro in the match won with Milan.
La Spezia ends the first half with a goal lead even if Thiago Motta’s players fail to finish even once on goal. In fact, the Ligurians took advantage of an own goal by Juan Jesus who in the 37th minute deflected the ball into his goal, intervening on a slope born from a free-kick kicked by Bastoni from long distance. In the second half Spalletti replaced Mertens with Petagna to increase the physicality of his team in the opponent’s penalty area. And in fact the Azzurri begin a real siege at Provedel’s goal which in the first minutes of the second half of the game also yields two goals, both canceled due to foul play by the two scorers, Lozano and Petagna. Then it’s the Mexican’s turn to waste a sensational opportunity with an empty net at the suggestion of Mario Rui. Lozano’s shot is rejected almost on the goal line by Erlic. The more the minutes pass, the more the Spezia closes like a hedgehog in front of Provedel’s door. The goalkeeper was decisive in the final when he deflected an angled shot from Anguissa. In the recovery minutes there is the last, desperate attempt by Elmas who heads a cross from Ounas and hits the top of the crossbar. It ends with the victory of Spezia that extends and not just over the third last in the standings, moving away from the relegation zone. Napoli, on the other hand, sees the top of the standings move further and further away and the advantage over those chasing the Champions-zone is reduced.
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