Hamsik eclipses Maradona to put Napoli top for Christmas
MILAN: Marek Hamsik scored his 116th goal on Saturday to overtake Diego Maradona as Napoli’s all-time record goalscorer and keep the Serie A leaders top for Christmas, as Inter Milan and AC Milan both suffered defeats. Hamsik’s strike before the break ensured a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Sampdoria to give Napoli 45 points from 18 games with second-placed Juventus on 41 ahead of their game against title rivals Roma, in fourth.
But third-placed Inter suffered their second consecutive defeat, falling 1-0 at Sassuolo, to drop five points behind the leaders, while troubled city rivals AC Milan slipped further away from the European places with a 2-0 loss at home to Atalanta, leaving the fallen giants 11th.
Slovakian international Hamsik joined Napoli in 2007 and is now captain and a stalwart of the side hoping to win their first Scudetto since the days of Argentine legend Maradona.
Maradona took just seven years to score his 115 goals between 1984 and 1991, helping the team to their only two Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990.
“I’m proud to have overtaken a myth like Maradona. My friends gave me shin-pads with 116 on them, but my first thought was that we were winning the game after going behind twice,” said the 30-year-old Hamsik.
“Today winning was very important because we also gained points on Inter even if the championship is long.”
Napoli were trailing twice in the first half with Gaston Ramirez firing in a free-kick after just two minutes to catch Pepe Reina off guard.
But Allan equalised after a quarter of an hour at the San Paolo stadium only for Fabio Quagliarella to convert a penalty to restore Sampdoria’s lead after 27 minutes. Quagliarella almost had a second shortly after, before Lorenzo Insigne struck in the 33rd minute.