Napoli-Roma 1-0
Marker: 9′ st Lukaku.
NAPLES (4-3-3): Meret 6; Di Lorenzo 7, Rrahmani 6, Buongiorno 6, Olivera 6; Zambo-Anguissa 6.5 (41’st Folorunsho sv), Lobotka 6, McTominay 6.5; Politano 5.5 (41’st Mazzocchi sv), Lukaku 6.5 (33’st Simeone sv), Kvaratskhelia 5.5 (22’st Neres 6). On the bench: Contini, Caprile, Juan Jesus, Marin, Spinazzola, Gilmour, Zerbin, Ngonge, Raspadori. Coach: Conte 6.
ROME (4-4-1-1): Svilar 6; Celik 5.5 (33’st Abdulhamid sv), Mancini 6.5 (43’st Dybala sv), N’Dicka 6, Angelino 5.5; El Shaarawy 5 (1’st Hummels 5.5), Koné 6.5, Cristante 6.5, Pisilli 5.5 (33’st Dahl sv); Pellegrini 5.5 (1st Baldanzi 5.5); Dovbyk 6. On the bench: Marin, Ryan, Sangaré, Paredes, Soulé, Le Fèe, Zalewski. Coach: Ranieri 6.
REFEREE: Mass of Imperia 5.5.
NOTES: Booked: N’Dicka, Pisilli, Cristante. Corners: 8-2 for Napoli. Recovery: 0′; 3′.
After the defeat against Atalanta and the draw with Inter, Napoli returns to winning ways by beating Roma in another cartel challenge. At the Maradona Stadium it ends 1-0 thanks to the goal in the 54th minute by the highly anticipated ex Lukaku: the Belgian finds the winning move and gives the Azzurri the success that allows them to return to the top. In fact, Antonio Conte’s team overtakes Atalanta, Inter and Fiorentina in one fell swoop, rising to 29 points, while Claudio Ranieri’s first on his return to the Giallorossi turns into a knockout, the third in a row in the championship.
Ready to go and after less than two minutes of play the Neapolitans immediately had the chance to break the deadlock, but Kvaratskhelia headed it from two steps away from Di Lorenzo’s cross. The response from the Capitoline team was immediate and they reached the conclusion from the edge with Pellegrini, but was imprecise with his right foot. In the 12th minute the hosts came knocking again: Politano started from the right and moved in to free the usual left-footed player, who was very dangerous but off target.
Close to the half hour mark, however, Svilar did well to close the target well on the diagonal of McTominay, who was very poisonous from a tight angle. Between the end of the first half and the start of the second, Conte’s team continued to press in search of the lead, deservedly finding it in the 54th minute: the protagonist was the former Lukaku, who guessed the shot in front of goal following a perfect assist from Di Lorenzo.
Roma didn’t have it and a few minutes later they created their biggest chance, missed by the newly introduced Baldanzi who fired a shot from an excellent position following Angelino’s touch. Even more delicious was the ball that Dovbyk would have at his disposal in the 66th minute, sensationally directed against the crossbar a stone’s throw from Meret. In the final not much happens, the Neapolitans defend their lead in an orderly manner and secure an important victory, even coming close to doubling their lead in the final seconds with Neres.
Lazio-Bologna 3-0
Markers: 23’st Gigot, 27’st Zaccagni, 47’st Dele-Bashiru.
LAZIO (4-3-3): Provedel 6; Lazzari 6, Gila 6.5, Romagnoli 6 (1’st Gigot 7), Pellegrini 6.5; Vecino 6.5 (15’st Dia 5.5), Rovella 6, Guendouzi 6.5; Pedro 5 (15’st Isaksen 5.5), Castellanos 5.5 (40’st Dele-Bashiru 7), Zaccagni 7 (29’st Tchaouna 5.5). On the bench: Mandas, Furlanetto, Patric, Noslin, Marusic. Coach: Baroni 6.5.
BOLOGNA (4-2-3-1): Ravaglia 5.5; De Silvestri 6, Beukema 5, Lucumì 5.5, Miranda 6; Freuler 6 (29’st Fabbian 6), Pobega 4; Orsolini 5.5 (1’st Urbanski 5.5), Odgaard 5 (29’st Dallinga 5.5), Karlsson 5 (1’st Moro 5.5); Castro 5 (35’st Holm sv). On the bench: Bagnolini, Pessina, Posch, Erlic, Iling-Junior, Corazza, Ferguson, Lykogiannis, Dominguez. Coach: Italian 5.5.
REFEREE: Rapuano of Rimini 5.5.
NOTES: In the 35th minute Pobega was sent off for a second yellow card. Booked: Gigot, Tchaouna, Holm, Pellegrini. Corners: 3-0. Recovery time: 2′, 3′.
At the Olimpico in Rome Lazio wins 3-0, with patience. Bologna, on the rise in results in recent days, lost Pobega in the 35th minute of the first half due to a double yellow card, Lazio attacked without frenzy (and without the problems of Tavares, who was injured) and found the goal that broke the deadlock on a corner at 22 ‘ from the end, with the French defender. The one-two that knocks out Italian’s team is signed by Zaccagni, with a nice right foot from a personal action supported by the movement of the whole team. Dele Bashiru closes the account in recovery. The Lazio orchestra increases to 28, with Bergamo and viola.