If this used to be simply the antipasto, Napoli must be excited about what AC Milan will serve up for the principle direction.
In the primary of 3 matchups between Milan and Napoli this month, the protecting Serie A champion routed this season’s runaway chief 4-0 on Sunday forward of 2 extra clashes within the Champions League quarterfinals.
Rafael Leão scored two times and Brahim Diaz arrange one objective and scored some other handy Napoli its heaviest defeat of what differently has been an bizarre season.
“We’re happy with the performance but it’s just one game,” Milan trainer Stefano Pioli stated. “Tonight’s consequence has not anything to do with the Champions League video games, as a result of that is a special pageant. That will probably be an excessively balanced contest.
Napoli’s simplest different losses within the Italian league this season each got here by means of rankings of 1-0, to Inter Milan in January and to Lazio a month in the past.
Napoli used to be additionally crushed 2–0 by means of Liverpool within the ultimate fit of the Champions League workforce segment however that loss got here after the Partenopei had already clinched a place within the spherical of 16.
Otherwise, Napoli’s simplest different defeat in 2022–23 got here in opposition to Cremonese on consequences within the Italian Cup.
Milan moved as much as 3rd position, 20 issues at the back of Napoli and 4 issues at the back of Lazio.
Milan managed from the beginning on the Diego Armando Maradona stadium and Diaz arrange Milan’s early opener for Leão with a really perfect thru ball. Leão — final season’s MVP — then did the remainder by means of chipping in over Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret.
Diaz produced some extra fireworks when he faked out Mario Rui to attain with a deflection from shut vary within the twenty fifth.
It marked the primary time that Napoli conceded two times within the opening 25 mins of a Serie A recreation since a fit in opposition to Juventus in August. 2019.
Leão fired within the 3rd from a pointy attitude close to the hour mark after deceiving Napoli defender Amir Rrahmani.
Then Alexis Saelemaekers weaved thru Napoli’s protection not up to 10 mins later to finish the rout.
At the general whistle, Leão exchanged shirts along with his fellow left winger at Napoli, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
“I’m a big fan of his,” Leão stated. “I love what he does at the pitch. He’s very similar to me, he tries to dribble by means of combatants.”
Milan hosts Napoli on the San Siro within the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals in 10 days, then Napoli hosts the second one leg six days later.
Napoli hopes to have Serie A scoring chief Victor Osimhen again for the ones suits after its heart ahead used to be dominated out of this recreation because of an injured abductor muscle in his left leg.
lazio 2d
Lazio tightened its grip on 2d position with a 2-0 win at Silvio Berlusconi’s Monza.
Having crushed Napoli and Roma within the derby earlier than the global smash, Lazio prolonged its unbeaten streak within the Italian league to 6 suits.
A loose kick from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic after the smash adopted an early objective from Pedro for Lazio.
Lazio has saved six consecutive blank sheets for the second one time this season.
WIJNALDUM’S IMPACT
Georginio Wijnaldum scored a objective and earned a penalty that Paulo Dybala transformed as Roma beat 10-man Sampdoria 3-0 to transport stage on issues with fourth-place Inter Milan.
All of the objectives got here after Sampdoria defender Jeison Murillo used to be despatched off for 2 yellow playing cards early in the second one part.
Wijnaldum opened the scoring with a header then Stephan El Shaarawy sealed it from the brink of the world after Dybala’s penalty.
Roma trainer Jose Mourinho’s counterpart at Sampdoria, Dejan Stankovic, used to be considered one of Mourinho’s avid gamers when he coached Inter to a treble of titles in 2010.
Also, Bologna endured to provoke beneath Thiago Motta with a three–0 win over Udinese to transport as much as 8th.
Stefan Posch, Nikola Moro and Musa Barrow scored for Bologna.
Motta changed the fired Sinisa Mihajlović in September after Bologna used to be not able to provide a win in its opening 5 suits.
Salernitana drew 1-1 at Spezia.