Napoli wasted an excellent probability to clinch their second Scudetto in three years as Parma held them to a scoreless draw at Stadio Ennio Tardini. Cristian Chivu’s staff did Inter a favor by taking the Serie A title race into the ultimate weekend.
Genoa threw a spanner in Napoli’s Scudetto quest final weekend, permitting second-placed Inter Milan to shut the hole to a single level. There was no margin for error heading into this fixture as Napoli sought a 3rd consecutive away league win after beating Lecce and Monza through an an identical 1-0 scoreline.
Tardini witnessed one other uneventful contest within the opening 45 minutes. Scoring possibilities have been onerous to come back by. The closest Napoli got here to discovering a vital breakthrough was Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s shot towards the tip of the primary half, which rattled off the publish. Nevertheless, Antonio Conte had only a few causes to be joyful about his staff’s efficiency.
Napoli flew out of the traps within the second half however couldn’t discover a well beyond Parma’s low block. Matteo Politano hit the crossbar, whereas Zion Suzuki made an outstanding save to cease Scott McTominay’s thunderbolt.
A nerve-shredding end noticed referee Daniele Doveri ship each managers off and award a last-gasp penalty to Napoli. Nevertheless, he overturned his resolution after consulting with VAR because the scoreline remained unchanged.
Let’s lower to the chase and take a look at our participant rankings.
Napoli (4-4-2)
Alex Meret – 8/10
Used two snug early saves as a platform to construct confidence. Made a shocking diving save early within the second half to take care of parity.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 6/10
Invisible in assault, the Napoli captain a minimum of fared effectively defensively. Took one for the staff, sacrificing a yellow card to cease a lethal counter-attack.
Amir Rrahmani – 7/10
Ange-Yoan Bonny examined his defensive prowess with fixed motion and spectacular energy, but the Kosovo worldwide stood his floor.
Mathias Olivera – 8/10
One other first rate displaying from the left-back, though Conte deployed him out of place for a 3rd match in a row. Untroubled within the second half.
Leonardo Spinazzola – 5/10
Not often examined in protection, the Italian wingback had loads of house down the flank, however nothing went his manner. Unconvincing in possession and innocent within the entrance third, his show was effectively under the required commonplace.
Matteo Politano – 7/10
Loved a brilliant begin to the sport and was the primary Napoli participant to check Suzuki. Hit the woodwork early within the second half, though he most likely tried to cross.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa – 8/10
Got here agonizingly near open the scoring simply after the half-hour mark, just for the publish to disclaim his low effort. Pivotal within the build-up play, the Cameroonian pulled all of the strings in midfield.
Billy Gilmour – 3/10
Stanislav Lobotka’s absence compelled his return to the beginning XI, but the ex-Brighton midfielder couldn’t present the spark within the ultimate third. Wasn’t equal to the problem and will’ve come out sooner.
Scott McTominay – 7/10
It was a forgettable first half for the Napoli talisman, who barely had any affect on the sport. Suzuki made an unbelievable save to fingertip his implausible shot over the bar within the second half.
Giacomo Raspadori – 4/10
After a near-anonymous first-half efficiency, the diminutive ahead achieve a foothold within the sport however solely barely as Conte took him off halfway by means of the second half.
Romelu Lukaku – 4/10
Engaged in steady bodily battle towards Parma defenders, the towering striker fought tooth and nail for each possession however by no means had a transparent sight of aim.
Substitutes
David Neres – 6/10
Philip Billing – 5/10
Cyril Ngonge – 5/10
Giovanni Simeone – 3/10
Pasquale Mazzocchi – N/A
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