Napoli creates 18 points gap in Serie A
As a guest at Mapei, Napoli entered the game confidently and went ahead in the 12th minute. Receiving the ball from Mathias Olivera in the middle, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia quickly eliminated two Sassuolo players, rushed into the penalty area and then shot diagonally, causing the goalkeeper to stop. Andrea Consigli froze.
Kvaratskhelia hit ten goals and 11 assists in 19 Serie A matches this season. The Georgia winger also has two goals and three assists in five Champions League group stage games.
Then, in turn, Armand Lauriente hit the Napoli post and Victor Osimhen ended up hitting the home's wooden frame, before the difference was made in the 33rd minute. Receiving a flick from center-back Amir Rrahmani, Osimhen shielded from the clinging of the hosts. Martin Erlic then finished from a tight angle to double the lead. In this situation, Consigli caught a cross from Osimhen and did not close the corner.
Osimhen is aiming to become the first African player to win Serie A's top scorer, with 18 goals now, six more than Atalanta's Ademola Lookman. Osimhen also hit 100 goals in his career and became the first Napoli player to shoot seven consecutive matches in the league.
At the end of the first half, Davide Frattesi clicked the ball for Armand Lauriente to shoot diagonally into Napoli's net. However, after going to the touchline to review the video, the referee determined that Gregoire Defrel - in an offside position - stopped Mathias Olivera, and denied the home team's goal.
Towards the end of the first half, Giovanni Simeone headed home to score Napoli's third goal. But the semi-automatic offside technology confirmed that Hirving Lozano was standing under Sassuolo's defense before crossing into the penalty area for his teammates.
However, a 2-0 victory is enough for Napoli to reach 62 points, 18 points more than Inter - the team taking on Udinese today. Napoli also ran perfect momentum for the trip to Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of the 1/8 Champions League round on February 21.
According to Luciano Spalletti, Frankfurt is a strong club, often using a 5-4-1 formation with players with speed, technique and good space exploitation. The Italian coach also emphasized that Napoli will approach the match with the goal of winning, like matches in Serie A.
The win over Sassuolo wasn't perfect, as Osimhen left the field in the 84th minute because of an injury. As he walked to the bench, the Nigerian striker complained of fitness problems and pointed to his right thigh. Spalletti said Osimhen had no serious problems, but still needed to be examined to determine the extent of the injury.
