Milan missed the opportunity to catch up with the defending champions Napoli and Roma by drawing 0-0 with its host Juventus in the top matches of the sixth stage of the Italian Football League on Sunday, while the southern club overturned its deficit against its humble guest Genoa to a 2-1 victory, and the capital club achieved a valuable victory over Fiorentina in its home 2-1.
Both Napoli, which compensated for its recent loss to Milan, and Roma raised their score to 15 points, compared to 13 for Milan, third, and 12 for Juventus, which is in fifth place, equally with Inter, fourth.
At Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in southern Italy, Naples fans were shocked by an extremely wonderful goal from young striker Jeff Ecator (18 years old), who scored it with a backheel from inside the area, in the style of Mader (34).
Napoli dominated possession, but failed to translate it into chances in the first half.
But after the break, and especially after Kevin De Bruyne came on to replace the injured Matteo Politano, the Belgian maestro, coming from Manchester City, was able to turn the tables on the visitors.
After clear domination of the match and from a cross by Leonardo Spinazzola that landed in the penalty area, Cameroonian Andre-Frank Zambo Anguiza followed it up with a header from close range, equalizing the numbers (57).
De Bruyne, the architect of Napoli’s victory
Veteran goalkeeper Nicolas Layali played a role in repelling Napoli’s sweeping attack, and was assisted by the post at times, but the 75th minute led to the goal for the hosts.
De Bruyne engineered an attack that reached Anguiza, who shot it powerfully and bounced off the goalkeeper to Danish Rasmus Hoylund, who calmly scored a second goal for “Partenope.”
Once again, since February 2009, Genoa has been unable to win in Naples.
In Florence, the three goals were scored in the first half. Fiorentina took the lead through a missile shot from Moise Kean (14), before Roma responded with goals from Argentine Matias Süle (22) and Brian Cristante (30).
Kane almost added his second personal goal for him and his team when he shot another powerful ball that hit the post in the 38th minute, shortly after Cristante’s goal.
Roberto Piccoli was also unlucky to score the equalizer with a shot from the bird that hit the crossbar in the 74th minute.
Fiorentina is still searching for its first victory in the league this season, as its score froze at 3 points from three defeats and as many draws, in seventeenth place.
