March 18, (THEWILL)- Nigerian forward, Victor Osimhen, was an unused substitute as Napoli continued their resurgence under new manager Francesco Calzona by snatching a late 1-1 draw against Serie A leaders Inter Milan at San Siro on Saturday.
The point denied the Nerazzurri the chance to secure their 11th consecutive league victory. Both sides had exited the UEFA Champions League in midweek, yet this contest commenced at a brisk pace despite few clear-cut chances initially.
Inter enjoyed the better of the first-half possession, but Napoli’s Juan Jesus stood tall, brilliantly thwarting Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez. However, the Brazilian could not prevent Matteo Darmian from opening the scoring on 43 minutes, sweeping home after Alessandro Bastoni’s inch-perfect square ball following a move down the left.
In the second half, Napoli went all out for an equaliser, looking to extend their five-match unbeaten league run under Calzona. Instead, Inter carved out openings, with Alex Meret denying Lautaro and tipping Dimarco’s deflected effort wide as Thuram wasted two golden chances.
Jesus continued his heroics by stopping Lautaro from potentially doubling Inter’s lead. His perseverance paid off in the 81st minute when he nodded in unmarked from Matteo Politano’s corner that Bastoni inadvertently flicked on. Inter pushed for a late winner but could not breach the stubborn Napoli rearguard, ending their run of five successive away losses to the Nerazzurri.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
