Inter closes in on Roma with 2-0 win over Napoli
Roberto Mancini's Inter went into the contest against the title hopefuls six points adrift of third-placed Roma and looking to crank up the pressure on the capital city club, which plays Atalanta on Sunday.
Published : Apr 17, 2016 11:55 IST
Inter gave its Champions League hopes a big boost while simultaneously striking a potentially fatal blow to Napoli's Serie A title chances with a 2-0 victory at San Siro on Saturday.
Roberto Mancini's Inter went into the contest against the title hopefuls six points adrift of third-placed Roma and looking to crank up the pressure on the capital city club, which plays Atalanta on Sunday.
Second-placed Napoli's need for the points was equally crucial as a win would have seen it move to within three points of
But the visitors lacked penetration in the absence of suspended top scorer Gonzalo Higuain, and first-half goals from Mauro Icardi and Marcelo Brozovic earned a deserved win for Inter.
In-form Nerazzurri captain Icardi got the host off to a great start with his fourth goal in five matches after just four minutes, despite suspicions of offside, and he then turned provider for Brozovic to strike on the counter-attack, making it 2-0 before half-time.
Napoli - which won November's reverse fixture 2-1 - continued to toil in the final third after the break, and Jeison Murillo wasted a fine chance to add further gloss.
The match marked the first meeting between Inter boss Mancini and Maurizio Sarri since the Napoli coach was banned for directing a homophobic slur at his counterpart during a Coppa Italia tie in January.
There was a handshake between the rival coaches pre-kick off, though, and Mancini was celebrating first in the fourth minute.
Gary Medel's excellent ball over the top was brilliantly controlled by Icardi and the skipper provided a clinical left-foot finish, Napoli's pleas for offside going unheard.
Napoli dominated the ball but was restricted to long-range efforts. Marek Hamsik's dipping shot was safely parried by Samir Handanovic before the Inter goalkeeper made a brilliant one-handed stop from Allan's drive.
Inter had scarcely threatened since the goal, but Napoli was let off the hook when Stevan Jovetic's teasing right-wing cross was headed wide at the back post by Ivan Perisic with the goal gaping.
It was 2-0 before the break. Jovetic's throughball picked out Icardi and he brilliantly teed up Brozovic to dink a fine finish past Pepe Reina.
Napoli still struggled to penetrate after the break, but Jose Callejon was unlucky with a well-controlled volley from Hamsik's cross that cleared the left-hand post.
Inter was keen to exploit the counter-attack and Murillo wastefully headed over the crossbar when unmarked from Icardi's corner.
Soon after, Reina spilled a simple ball into the box and Kalidou Koulibaly headed Jovetic's chip off the line.
The visitor tried to commit men forward in the closing stages, but Inter - which had failed to beat Napoli in its past six league meetings - controlled the game brilliantly and held firm for a crucial win.
Key Opta stats:
-Inter haas won 10 of its last 13 home games against Napoli in the league, with two draws and a lone win for the Partenopei in the process. -This is Inter's second home clean sheet since the start of 2016 (in eight league games played at San Siro this calendar year). -The Nerazzurri kept back-to-back clean sheets in Serie A for the first time since December. - Napoli failed to score for the fifth time since the start of this Serie A season. -Among players who have scored 10 or more goals in this campaign, Icardi boasts the best conversion rate ( 34.1 per cent - 15 goals from 44 total shots attempted, excluding blocked). -Icardi's 15 goals this season have all been scored from inside the penalty area – overall, 52 of his 56 Serie A goals have come from inside the box. -Napoli has not won after going behind away from home in Serie A this season (D2 L5).