Napoli cut Juve’s ‘Serie A’ lead with win at Udinese
Immobile lifts Lazio into contention
Oct 21, (RTRS): Napoli closed the gap on Serie A leaders Juventus to four points with a 3-0 win at Udinese on Saturday.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side took to the Dacia Arena pitch knowing that a slip-up from the Turin club, who drew 1-1 with Genoa earlier in the day, had handed them a rare chance to gain ground.
The coach was impressed by his side’s clinical performance as goals from Fabian Ruiz, Dries Mertens and Marko Rog completed a comfortable victory.
Napoli were dealt an early blow as striker Simone Verdi was forced off with injury, only for his replacement Ruiz to curl a shot into the top corner on 14 minutes.
Chances fell at both ends before the result was put beyond doubt with 12 minutes remaining when the away side were awarded a penalty for handball that Mertens converted.
Substitute Rog then hit a third for the visitors with five minutes to go, shooting low past Simone Scuffet following an exchange with Mertens.
Second-placed Napoli, on 21 points from nine games to Juventus’s 25, also extended their advantage over Roma to seven points after the capital club, sixth in the table, fell to a 2-0 defeat at home to SPAL at the Stadio Olimpico, courtesy of goals from Andrea Petagna and Kevin Bonifazi.
Napoli’s next test is a Champions League away tie against Paris SaintGermain in the French capital on Wednesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score 400 goals in Europe’s top five leagues as Juventus dropped points for the first time this season following a 1-1 Serie A draw with Genoa.
Lazio got their Serie A campaign back on track Sunday when two late goals from Ciro Immobile and an injury-time clincher from Joaquin Correa gave them an away win at plucky Parma.
Promoted in each of the three seasons since their bankruptcy, Parma have impressed this season but their late capitulation let the visiting Roman outfit climb to third in the table.
Ex-Italy boss Gian Piero Ventura returned to coaching but failed to guide tailenders Chievo to their first win of the season.
Relegation rivals Atalanta ripped Chievo apart in a 5-1 home mauling for Ventura in his first match since being sacked last November after Italy failed to reach the World Cup finals.
Two other clubs also locked in the relegation zone shared the points when Frosinone and Empoli drew 3-3 in a game where Frosinone doubled their season’s goals tally to six and their points tally to two.