Napoli again create 16 points gap in Serie A
Before round 22, Cremonese ranked bottom of the group, the only team in Serie A that has not won a match. They have eight points from eight draws and lose the remaining 13. However, Cremonese surprised by defeating Napoli and Roma to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Cup against Fiorentina in April.
Cremonese could not replicate this achievement when they met Napoli in the 22nd round of Serie A yesterday. At Diego Armando Maradona, the visitors were underwhelmed with 33% of possession, finishing six times with one shot on target - compared to 15 and 10 for their opponents.
After a series of missed opportunities, Napoli took the lead in the 21st minute, when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran from the right into the penalty area and then shot into the far corner to beat goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi. Among the rookies in Europe's top five leagues in the 2022-2023 season, Kvaratskhelia is the only player to reach nine goals and nine assists.
The host played even more explosively in the second half. From the corner of the 65th minute, Giovanni Di Lorenzo headed the corner and couldn't beat Carnesecchi. But Min-jae Kim saves the ball from the far post so Victor Osimhen ends up in an empty net. The Nigerian striker shot for the sixth consecutive match in Serie A to score his 17th goal, continuing to lead the list of top scorers.
Napoli's sublime day ended in the 79th minute, when Di Lorenzo lit the ball to let Eljif Elmas penetrate the penalty area in an unaccompanied position and then hit the corner to make the score 3-0.
This result helps Napoli have 59 points through 22 matches, temporarily widening the gap with Inter - Sampdoria's guest club today - to 16 points. In Serie A history, only Inter in the 2006-2007 season and Juventus in the 2018-2019 season have won more points than Napoli through the first 22 matches in the tournament, with the same 60 points.
After the match, coach Luciano Spalletti said that Napoli was tense in the first half, but played calmly, with more organization and quality in the second half. "Napoli has high-class and professional players. They are all ready to give their all for the club. They are ready to destroy themselves on the pitch to get results, because results make the difference," said the Italian coach. speak.
Spalletti once affirmed that Napoli was still aiming for the Champions League, where they met Eintracht Frankfurt in the round of 16. But after the victory over Cremonese, he was more humble when he said Napoli only focused on each match. "We need focus and attention to detail. Like I said, you live for the present, not the future," stressed Spalletti.
On February 17, Napoli was Sassuolo's guest in the 23rd round of Serie A and then marched to Frankfurt's stadium to play the first leg of the 1/8 Champions League round on February 21.
