Dzeko serves up Napoli’s first loss as Inter go away no scraps in midweek banquet | Nicky Bandini

The midseason World Cup interruption felt that little bit longer to many Italian soccer fanatics, left and not using a staff to cheer for, so Serie A’s organizers opted for overall immersion upon its go back. If you idea 4 video games in a day used to be so much all the way through Qatar’s crew degree then how about 10, scheduled in pairs to kick off each two hours all over a normal workday?

Typically, the Italian top-flight would go back from its wintry weather spoil at the Christian banquet day of Epiphany, 6 January, a countrywide vacation, however that falls on a Friday this 12 months. Playing then would imply giving up the weekend spherical – unacceptable given the condensed calendar. Returning with a night spherical on Wednesday gave the impression an obtrusive selection. But broadcast rights pay the expenses, so the video games began at lunchtime as a substitute.

It did not forestall 30,000 fanatics from turning out to observe Salernitana host Milan simply after midday. Rafael Leão and Sandro Tonali put Serie A’s reigning champions two targets up inside of 1 / 4 of an hour, prior to Federico Bonazzoli halved their merit past due on, putting in a fearful end.

That used to be only a trace of the drama to return. Tammy Abraham headed off the goal-line to maintain a Roma win over Bologna, prior to Arkadiusz Milik scored a 91st-minute free-kick to thieve all 3 issues for Juventus away to a Cremonese aspect who’ve no longer received a sport all season however two times that they had taken the lead within the first part.

Celebrations had been interrupted the primary time by way of a marginal offside choice – despite the fact that it therefore emerged that the Emanuele Valeri’s header may no longer have crossed the road anyway. A 2d possible target used to be denied by way of a untimely whistle after minimum touch from Cyriel Dessers on Danilo. The Belgian would later pick out up a yellow card for his dramatic re-enactment of a missed foul against him,

Manolo Gabbiadini scored an overhead kick as Sampdoria received away to Sassuolo, their two targets representing 1 / 4 of the whole they’ve now scored on this marketing campaign. Atalanta got here from two right down to deny a win for relegation-threatened Spezia. Lecce, within the dissatisfied of the day, beat Lazio on the Stadio Via del Mare.

But the primary match used to be at all times going to be the night time fixture between Internazionale and Napoli at San Siro. The guests arrived as Serie A’s runaway leaders, 8 issues transparent to begin the 12 months and the one unbeaten staff left throughout Europe’s height 5 leagues. They had received their closing 11 Serie A video games of 2022 and completed height of a Champions League crew that includes Liverpool and Ajax.

Inter had been 11 issues at the back of them, again in 5th, but had no longer given up hope of bridging the distance. Romelu Lukaku, in what’s speedy changing into an annual festive custom, gave a long interview to Sky Sports reminding everybody how a lot he loves the membership. Asked whether or not he nonetheless believed they may win the identify this season, he spoke back: “Always. This is why we play football. You have to believe in the impossible.

That his teammates shared such conviction was evident in their first-half performance. Inter let Napoli have possession but nothing else: dominating them physically and tactically. Every time the leaders lost the ball it came flying back their way, Lukaku and Edin Dzeko the twin target for a series of angled balls over the defence.

The Belgian, who made just four league appearances in an injury-stricken first part of the season, looked slower than his best, but still carved out shooting opportunities for Federico Dimarco and Matteo Darmian before being offered one of his own by Nicolò Barella, who sent him clean through with a spinning backheel flick. All three missed the target when hitting it looked easier.

Fans could be excused for wondering if their team had missed its moment. A Napoli team with 37 goals in 15 games had scarcely created a chance in the first half, Darmian and Milan Skriniar marshalling Khvicha Kvaratskhelia superbly while Francesco Acerbi stuck to Victor Osimhen like glue. How long could it be before players of such quality found a way through?

Long enough. Inter got the goal they deserved in the 56th minute, Henrikh Mkhitaryan serving Dimarco with a brilliant cross-field pass before the wing-back swung the ball into the middle for Dzeko to head home. It was a scintillating piece of football, each of them playing their part to perfection.

The most consistent criticisms of Simone Inzaghi as Inter manager have highlighted the fearfulness of his substitutions, a habit for withdrawing key performers as soon as they pick up a yellow card or when there is a lead to protect. Here he did the opposite, replacing his wing-backs with Denzel Dumfries and Robin Gosens – players more renowned for their attacking work than defensive diligence – daring Napoli to overcommit in their pursuit of an equaliser.

San Siro braced for a fightback that never came. Napoli forced only one real save from André Onana, and even then, the Inter goalkeeper would have needed to contort himself to avoid being struck on the chest by Giacomo Raspadori’s 90th-minute attempt.

The game ended 1-0, Inter becoming the first team to beat Napoli, just as they were in the last campaign. It is easy to forget how Luciano Spalletti’s side started 2021-22 with a 12-game unbeaten run, before a winter slump dropped them out of title contention.

Could a repeat be brewing? It is too early to say if this result reflects a loss of focus during the World Cup pause but circumstances are different this time around. Napoli’s collapse coincided with injuries to key players – Osimhen and Giovanni Di Lorenzo among them – who are healthy now. Furthermore, the club has greater depth up front with the summer additions of Raspadori and Giovanni Simeone.

What is clear is that a title race some people believed to be over still has a long way to run. Inter are eight points behind the leaders, but their neighbors have closed the gap to five and Juventus to seven. The Bianconericoincidentally, are on a seven-game winning run in the league.

Post-match, Acerbi described it as an “in or out” game for Inter, one in which they knew that nothing less than three points could be good enough. The challenge now is to preserve that mindset. “If we go out and play beneath our standards against Monza on Saturday, this victory won’t mean anything at all,” he stated.

“It’s simple to organize fits like this. It’s with the little groups that you want to have the similar mentality, you want to be power and humble. Otherwise, you’re a excellent staff however no longer a perfect staff.

Serie A served up a banquet of soccer on Wednesday, however as each new 12 months’s resolutioner is aware of, it’s not what you consume on day one who determines your good fortune achieve long-term targets.