Napoli conceded prime spot in Serie A to red-hot Atalanta on Sunday after falling to a 1-0 house defeat to Lazio and dropping to 2 factors from the summit. Fiorentina earlier remained on Napoli’s heels after their 1-0 house win over Cagliari of their first league match since midfielder Edoardo Bove’s sudden collapse final weekend. In soaking moist Naples, Gustav Isaksen shocked the house followers with an excellent strike, which rifled previous Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret and saved Lazio proper in a crowded league title race.
Marco Baroni’s Lazio are fifth however solely three factors behind new leaders Atalanta, who sit prime of the pile because of a membership record-equalling ninth straight league win over AC Milan on Friday.
“The boys confirmed how fired up they have been and their work ethic,” Baroni instructed DAZN.
“We’re going through groups constructed to win, and the one approach we are able to get there (to their stage) is with good soccer. That’s the one approach we are able to play.”
Napoli now have three groups only a level behind them, together with Inter Milan and Lazio who additionally dumped Antonio Conte’s workforce out of the Italian Cup on Thursday.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa each struck the woodwork for Napoli, who’re looking a fourth league title after being topped champions in 2023.
But the hosts have been annoyed by dogged Lazio, who have been largely on the again foot however got here shut on a few events earlier than Isaksen smashed in his second Serie A purpose of the season.
Isaksen had stung Meret’s fingers with an identical effort halfway by the primary half, whereas Fisayo Dele-Bashiru crashed a rocket of a shot onto the bar six minutes after the break.
Kvaratskhelia skimmed the crossbar with a free-kick in first-half stoppage time, whereas Anguissa glanced a header onto the publish moments earlier than Isaksen struck his winner.
“I feel tonight confirmed that the route we’re heading in is the fitting one,” insisted Conte to DAZN.
“We want to enhance, particularly relating to creating possibilities as a result of too usually the ultimate go is lacking and tonight was not the primary time.”
Fiorentina within the hunt
Fiorentina are, alongside third-placed Inter, stage on 31 factors with Lazio after they edged previous Cagliari earlier on Sunday.
Danilo Cataldi fired in the one purpose of the sport within the twenty fourth minute to offer Fiorentina an eighth straight win in Italy’s prime flight, not counting their interrupted match with Inter Milan which was goalless when Bove collapsed.
Promising midfielder Bove, 22, has been in Florence’s Careggi hospital for every week as he undergoes exams, with stories in Italian media saying that his profession in Italy is successfully over.
Before kick-off, Fiorentina captain Luca Ranieri expressed anger at stories that Bove was set to have a defibrillator fitted, which might power him to search for a membership overseas because of stringent well being laws in Italian sport.
“I ask for a little bit of respect for each him and for his privateness as a result of a collection of unfaithful issues have been written and mentioned about him,” mentioned Ranieri.
Raffaele Palladino additionally insisted that he and his gamers have been “ready to welcome him again on the pitch quickly”.
Cataldi devoted his excellent opener to his good pal and fellow Roman Bove, with the pair on mortgage at Fiorentina from capital metropolis golf equipment Lazio and Roma.
The 30-year-old ran to a pitchside digicam to make the quantity 4 — Bove’s shirt quantity — and a coronary heart along with his fingers after rifling Lucas Beltran’s lay-off into the highest nook.
Cataldi’s purpose left spirited Cagliari fifteenth, two factors above Verona who dropped into the relegation zone on purpose distinction after being flattened 4-1 by Empoli.
Verona dropped behind Como following a heavy house defeat — their seventh loss in eight league matches — and an entertaining 2-2 draw for Cesc Fabregas’ facet at backside membership Venezia.
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