Napoli hosted Venice this Sunday to end the year. The Partenopei won, but Romelu Lukaku was unlucky.
The stakes were clear: in the event of a victory this Sunday, Napoli would end the year 2024 co-leader of Serie A, tied on points with Atalanta Bergamo (but second on goal difference). No question of missing out against Venice, 19th in Serie A.
And things were less simple than expected for Romelu Lukaku (holder) and his teammates. At the end of the first period, Naples obtained a penalty that Lukaku missed (37th), losing to an excellent Stankovic.
In the second half, another stroke of bad luck for the top scorer in the history of the Red Devils: Lukaku will find the post in the 64th minute of play. No 7th goal this season in Serie A for him, therefore, because the only goal of match will be scored by Giacomo Raspadori in the 79th minute (1-0).
It is therefore a victory for Naples, which joins Atalanta Bergamo at the top of the championship, one point ahead of Inter Milan who however have one game less than the two leaders.
On the Venezia side, note that the young Belgian Joël Schingtienne, U21 international, remained on the bench throughout the match. He entered the game last week, for his second appearance in Serie A since signing last summer from OHL.
