Napoli continue perfect start at Udinese to move top of Italian Serie A
MILAN: Napoli moved top of Serie A on Monday thanks to a 4-0 stroll at Udinese which made sure they maintained their 100 percent start to the season.
Goals from Victor Osimhen, Amir Rrahmani, Kalidou Koulibaly and Hirving Lozano earned Luciano Spalletti’s side an impressive win at the Dacia Arena which gives them a perfect 12 points from four games, two points ahead of Inter Milan and AC Milan, who sit second and third respectively.
Roma are a further point back alongside Fiorentina as Napoli remain the only team to win all of their matches so far this term in Italy’s top flight. Udinese lost for the first time this season sit seventh, level on seven points with Lazio, Atalanta and Bologna as Napoli gave off early signs of being title contenders.
“It doesn’t mean anything. We know we played very well at a difficult ground. We’ve got to keep our feet on the ground and keep working. It’s not easy coming all the way to Udine and winning 40,” said Insigne to DAZN.
“If we look at the numbers now we’ll get slack and we won’t continue the way we’re going.”
Osimhen followed up on his dramatic brace in Thursday’s 2-2 Europa League draw at Leicester City by opening the scoring in the 24th minute with his first Serie A goal of the campaign, poking home from near the goalline after Lorenzo Insigne had deftly lobbed Udinese goalkeeper Marco Silvestri. Fabian Ruiz then struck the post six minutes later and was key to the goal which put Napoli two ahead.
Receiving the ball from Insigne at a free-kick, Ruiz floated a delicate pass over the top of the Udinese defence for Koulibaly, who pushed the ball across goal for Rrahmani to nod home.
Koulibaly scored the late winner against Juventus last time out and put Napoli three up six minutes after the break with a missile of a shot from the excellent Ruiz’s lay-off.
From then on it was all Napoli and Lozano put the cherry on the cake in the 84th minute with a lovely finish following an exchange of passes with Mario Rui. Napoli are back in action on Thursday at Sampdoria as a midweek round of fixtures rolls around. Champions Inter Milan, fresh from a 6-1 demolition of Bologna, travel to Florence on Tuesday evening for a tough test against a Fiorentina side which is on a run of three straight wins.
Under highly-rated Vincenzo Italiano, Fiorentina have discovered an identity which has been sorely lacking for the last few years as one of the country’s bestsupported clubs has failed to even trouble the European places in the last three campaigns.