March 04, (THEWILL)- Napoli claimed a vital 2-1 victory over Juventus on Sunday, courtesy of a late strike from Giacomo Raspadori. The Italian attacker pounced on the rebound after Wojciech Szczesny saved Victor Osimhen’s penalty in the 88th minute, securing a much-needed win for the defending champions.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had given Napoli the lead with a well-taken volley, but Federico Chiesa equalised for Juventus in the 81st minute with a fierce finish. However, Raspadori’s late intervention ensured that Napoli took all three points, moving them up to seventh place in the Serie A table, just three points behind sixth-placed Atalanta.
Bologna finished the weekend in fourth place, eight points ahead of Napoli. Yet, I Partenopei have shown signs of improvement under new manager Francesco Calzona, who replaced Walter Mazzarri last month, and the renewed confidence in the team, particularly in star forward Kvaratskhelia and partner Osimhen, bodes well for their upcoming UEFA Champions League tie against Barcelona.
Juventus, who were without several key players, including midfielders Adrien Rabiot and Weston McKennie, missed an opportunity to close the gap on league leaders Inter Milan. The defeat leaves Massimiliano Allegri’s side 12 points behind Inter, who have a chance to extend their lead when they face Genoa on Monday night. Juventus’ second-place position is also under threat, with AC Milan just one point behind them in third.
The loss was particularly harsh on Juventus, who had fought back from a goal down and created numerous chances throughout the match. Dusan Vlahovic hit the post and wasted another excellent opportunity on the stroke of half-time, which could have changed the complexion of the game.
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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.
