Napoli on the brink of Italian title after late winner against Juventus
Giacomo Raspadori’s last-minute volley secured a dramatic win and put them within one victory of the Serie A title.
Napoli took a giant step towards their first Italian league title in more than three decades with a win over Juventus on Sunday.
The league leaders left it late, requiring a stoppage-time winner from Giacomo Raspadori to secure a 1-0 win. Second-place Lazio lost at home to Torino on Saturday meaning that Napoli are now within touching distance of a historic Scudetto triumph.
Luciano Spalletti’s side are 17 points clear of Lazio and could wrap up the title when they host Salernitana next weekend.
“I’m shaking,” Raspadori said after scoring against Juventus. “We wanted it so much and Juve created a lot of problems, but we believed to the very end.”
“This gives us a big hand. [But] we have only one thing in mind: earning three points against Salernitana.”
What do Napoli need to be crowned champions?
Napoli put the disappointment of last week’s Champions League exit at the hands of AC Milan behind them to move to within a single win of the Scudetto.
With a 17-point advantage over their nearest rivals, Napoli will be crowned champions if they beat Salernitana and Lazio fail to win against Inter Milan, who will be desperate for a result.
Last week Juventus had a 15-point penalty reversed, meaning that they jumped up to third in the Italian top flight. Inter Milan therefore need to make up two points in the remaining seven games to secure Champions League qualification.
Napoli’s first post-Maradona title beckons
The Napoli faithful will hope that their side can secure the league triumph at home next weekend, in the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. The stadium was renamed in 2020 to mark the death of their former player and club legend.
Maradona won the club its first Italian league in 1986/87 and repeated the trick three years later. Since that period of success more than 30 years ago Napoli has not won another Italian league title.
It is now just a matter of time until their third-ever Scudetto is mathematically confirmed and the city is braced for a massive party.