Serie A: Late Raspadori strike earns Napoli 2-1 home win over Juventus

Napoli moved up to seventh in the standings on 43 points, three points behind sixth-placed Atalanta - which lost 2-1 at home to Bologna earlier on Sunday - and four adrift of AS Roma in fifth.

Published : Mar 04, 2024 11:45 IST , NAPLES - 2 MINS READ

Napoli’s Giacomo Raspadori celebrates scoring its second goal.
Napoli’s Giacomo Raspadori celebrates scoring its second goal. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
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Napoli’s Giacomo Raspadori celebrates scoring its second goal. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Substitute Giacomo Raspadori scored an 88th-minute winner as champion Napoli beat visitor Juventus 2-1 in Serie A on Sunday to secure its first back-to-back wins in five months and edge closer to the European qualification places.

Napoli moved up to seventh in the standings on 43 points, three points behind sixth-placed Atalanta - which lost 2-1 at home to Bologna earlier on Sunday - and four adrift of AS Roma in fifth.

Juventus remained second with 57 points after 27 games as its cushion over third-placed AC Milan narrowed to a point. It is 12 points off leader Inter Milan, which hosts Genoa on Monday.

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Napoli, which on Wednesday demolished Sassuolo 6-1 to celebrate its first win under new coach Francesco Calzona, won consecutive league games for the first time since it beat Udinese and Lecce in September.

Dusan Vlahovic should have given Juventus an early lead from Federico Chiesa’s lofted pass across the face of the goal but the Serb’s header went narrowly wide.

The host, which had more than 70 per cent possession throughout the game, responded with a golden chance in the 24th minute but Giovanni Di Lorenzo struck over the bar.

Vlahovic then hit the far post after chipping Napoli keeper Alex Meret from a tight angle and Juve’s Wojciech Szczesny denied winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia following a solo run.

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Kvaratskhelia eventually put Napoli in front three minutes before half-time with a powerful volley that beat Szczesny at his near post before Chiesa levelled for Juventus in the 81st minute, driving the ball low into the far corner from the edge of the box.

Napoli won a penalty in the dying minutes when Victor Osimhen was taken down inside the area and Szczesny did well to deny the Nigerian striker from the spot.

However, Raspadori wrapped up the points for the host two minutes from time, firing home the rebound into the roof of the net from close range.

Napoli next hosts mid-table Torino on Friday while Juventus, which beat Frosinone 3-2 last weekend for its first Serie A win in five games, takes on Atalanta next Sunday.

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