After a tumultuous title defense last season that saw Napoli change coaches three times and finish in 10th place, the team has rebounded under Antonio Conte. As 2024 comes to a close, Napoli finds itself level on points with Atalanta at the top of Serie A.
In their final match of the year, Napoli secured a narrow 1-0 victory against relegation-threatened Venezia, thanks to a late goal from substitute Giacomo Raspadori. The win puts Napoli and Atalanta one point ahead of defending champions Inter Milan, who have a game in hand.
Conte, who took over the managerial role in July, emphasized his desire for success, stating, “Even if I play cards with my daughter, I want to win. Personally, I don’t accept minimal goals. But we all know where we started and what the club’s objectives are.”
Atalanta drew 1-1 with Lazio on Saturday, while Inter won 3-0 against Cagliari. In other matches on Sunday, Juventus and Fiorentina played to a 2-2 draw, which was briefly interrupted due to discriminatory chants aimed at Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. AC Milan also drew 1-1 with Roma.
Last season, after Luciano Spalletti led Napoli to the Serie A title in 2022-23, the club struggled with Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri, and Francesco Calzona at the helm, finishing 41 points behind Inter. Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo reflected on the team’s turnaround, saying, “What happened is in the past. The present is what counts. It’s great to be back on top, but there’s still a long way to go.”
In the match against Venezia, Napoli struggled to break through, facing strong resistance from goalkeeper Filip Stankovic, son of former Lazio and Inter star Dejan Stankovic. Raspadori finally found the net in the 79th minute, firing home a loose ball just minutes after coming on as a substitute.
“These are tough matches where it means a lot to come away with three points,” Raspadori commented. “We know we’re on the right path.”
Napoli dominated the match with 25 shots compared to Venezia’s four, but their 27 goals this season are the fewest among the top six teams in the league. Conte acknowledged the need for improvement, stating, “The squad is improving in every aspect. We just need to score more goals.”
Discriminatory Chants Lead to Match Suspension
In the match between Juventus and Fiorentina, discriminatory chants directed at Vlahovic led to a two-minute suspension in the first half. The Serbia international, who previously played for Fiorentina, alerted the referee to the situation, prompting a warning announcement over the stadium’s public address system that stated the match would be suspended if the chants continued.
Juventus took the lead with a goal from Khephren Thuram midway through the first half, but former Juventus player Moise Kean equalized before halftime. Thuram scored again in the second half, but Fiorentina responded with a volley from Riccardo Sottil in the 87th minute, resulting in a 2-2 draw. Both teams now sit nine points behind the league leaders.
Despite being the only unbeaten team in Serie A, Juventus has drawn 11 matches, winning just seven.At the San Siro, AC Milan took an early lead through Tijjani Reijnders, but Paulo Dybala equalized for Roma. Milan coach Paulo Fonseca was sent off for protests at the end of the first half. Earlier, Torino staged a comeback to draw 2-2 with Udinese after trailing by two goals.
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