Napoli beat Monza 2-0 and returned alone to the top of the Serie A table, a place they had missed since the Scudetto season. Politano and Kvaratskhelia scored the winning goals in a match that was won but not easy, with a first half that was all blue, but in the second half Monza attacked, but were unable to find a way to score. The match thus ends with Maradona’s joy and Nesta’s desire to rebuild at Monza, a club that went 15 games, including last season, without winning.
Yet Monza arrives at Maradona without closing in on defense, but rather starting immediately with speed. Maldini and Pessina build well, Kyriakopoulos and Djuric press the Azzurri defense: Pereira finds a cross in the 5th minute which however finds Caprile who deflects it. Monza starts with the pace requested by Nesta, but Napoli manages to hold on, then begins to keep the ball, move quickly in midfield and push Monza into their own half.
Ball possession changes and Conte’s team finds the advantage in the 22nd minute when Politano comes down the flank and passes to Lukaku, Bianco intercepts the ball but sends it back to Politano who enters the area and beats Turati, while the Monza defense leaves him too free. For the former Roma player it is the first goal of the season. Napoli continues to keep the ball and build on the flanks with Kvaratskhelia and Politano well supported by Olivera and Di Lorenzo, while McTominay and Lukaku penetrate centrally. Monza is forced to close in on defense, pressuring the Azzurri attackers a lot, but suffers the second goal.
In fact, in the 34th minute goalkeeper Turati sent a central pass outside the area which was intercepted by Anguissa who passed to Lobotka, the ball to McTominay who attempted a shot into the area but Carboni’s deflection became an assist for Kvaratskhelia who doubled the score. Monza suffers, Nesta watches the match with concern and sends five players to warm up at the end of the first half, which ends with a dangerous cross from Monza that Lukaku deflects out on a slide, risking an own goal.
Monza restarts with ball possession but Napoli’s defense holds up. McTominay steals the ball from Bondo in the 7th minute, the ball goes to Lukaku whose shot is deflected for a corner. McTominay soars from the corner but sends his header very close to the post. Monza came close to scoring in the 12th minute, when Djuric headed a corner kick to save Caprile and two minutes later Maldini took a great free-kick, grazing the post. Monza keeps the ball, they try with Carboni who shoots high from outside the area, then Maldini shoots again and calls Caprile to save. Monza dominates but Napoli’s defense holds up. The Azzurri instead play on the counterattack, with Raspadori entering at the end and taking a shot towards the outside of the net and then Neres tries from the edge, touching the post. It’s the last emotion of the match, then the ‘Maradona’ crowd can celebrate victory and supremacy.
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