Napoli wins again and also wins a complicated derby against Salernitana. At the Arechi it ends 0-1 thanks to a flash from Zielinski in the second half, which allows Spalletti’s team to temporarily return alone first, waiting for Milan’s match against Roma. Forced to a new knockout instead the formation of Colantuono, who tried with his heart to the last, in a hot final game played ten against ten (expelled Kastanos and Koulibaly).
The Neapolitans try to play the game right from the start and at 7 ‘they have the first great scoring ball of the match: Zielinski enters the area and is served perfectly by a teammate, but he misses the conclusion from a few steps on his left-handed. A few turns of hands later Lozano also tries with his head on a cross from Politano, sending however high over the crossbar. The rhythms, however, do not rise and the Azzurri are struggling to create dangers in Belec’s parts, above all due to the absences of Insigne (bench) and Osimhen (who remained at home due to injury).
At 60 ‘Spalletti ran for cover by inserting Petagna and Elmas in place of Mertens and Lozano, and the field immediately proved him right after a minute. Petagna hits a crossbar from Zielinski’s cross, but on the continuation of the action the same midfielder resolves a beat and replies by signing the Neapolitan advantage. At 69 ‘the road to Salernitana gets even more uphill, forced to continue in ten men for the red headed to Kastanos (punished by the Var after only the yellow waved by the referee), but at 77’ it returns in numerical equality for the expulsion of Koulibaly, due to a last man foul on Simy. On the consequent punishment from the edge, Ribery’s shot was rejected on the line by Di Lorenzo, providential in helping Ospina. In the final and in the full-bodied recovery it is Napoli that goes close to the goal of doubling, denied by Belec with two beautiful saves on Elmas and Mario Rui. At 96 ‘the last chance grenade has it Gagliolo, who kicks high on Ospina’s wrong rebound.