Napoli conceded prime spot in Serie A to red-hot Atalanta on Sunday after falling to a 1-0 residence defeat to Lazio and dropping to 2 factors from the summit.
Fiorentina remained on Napoli’s heels after their 1-0 residence win over Cagliari of their first league match since midfielder Edoardo Bove’s sudden collapse final weekend.
In soaking moist Naples, Gustav Isaksen shocked the house followers with an excellent strike, which rifled previous Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret and stored Lazio proper in a crowded league title race.
Lazio are fifth however solely three factors behind new league leaders Atalanta, who sit prime of the pile because of a membership record-equalling ninth straight Serie A win over AC Milan on Friday.
Napoli now have three groups only a level behind them, together with Inter Milan and Lazio who additionally dumped Antonio Conte’s group out of the Italian Cup on Thursday.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa each struck the woodwork for Napoli, who’re searching a fourth league title after being topped champions in 2023.
However the hosts have been pissed off by dogged Lazio, who have been largely on the again foot however got here shut on a few events earlier than Isaksen smashed in his second Serie A aim of the season.
Isaksen had stung Meret’s fingers with an identical effort halfway by the primary half, whereas Fisayo Dele-Bashiru crashed a rocket of a shot onto the bar six minutes after the break.
Kvaratskhelia skimmed the crossbar with a free-kick in first-half stoppage time, whereas Anguissa glanced a header onto the put up moments earlier than Isaksen struck his winner.
– Fiorentina within the hunt –
Danilo Cataldi fired in the one aim of the sport within the twenty fourth minute to provide Fiorentina an eighth straight win in Italy’s prime flight, not counting their interrupted match with Inter Milan which was goalless when Bove fell.
Promising midfielder Bove, 22, has been in Florence’s Careggi hospital for per week as he undergoes assessments, with experiences in Italian media saying that his profession in Italy is successfully over.
Earlier than kick-off, Fiorentina captain Luca Ranieri expressed anger at experiences that Bove was set to have a defibrillator fitted, which might power him to search for a membership overseas as a result of stringent well being laws in Italian sport.
Christian Eriksen needed to go away Inter Milan in 2021 within the wake of his cardiac arrest and collapse whereas enjoying for Denmark at that yr’s European Championship.
Eriksen was banned from enjoying in Italian soccer after having an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD, fitted however now performs for Manchester United and nonetheless represents his nation.
“I ask for a little bit of respect for each him and for his privateness as a result of a collection of unfaithful issues have been written and stated about him,” stated Ranieri.
Raffaele Palladino additionally insisted that he and his gamers have been “ready to welcome him again on the pitch quickly”.
Cataldi devoted his excellent opener to his good pal and fellow Roman Bove, with the pair on mortgage at Fiorentina from capital metropolis golf equipment Lazio and Roma.
The 30-year-old ran to a pitchside digital camera to make the quantity 4 — Bove’s shirt quantity — and a coronary heart along with his fingers after rifling Lucas Beltran’s lay-off into the highest nook.
Cataldi’s aim left spirited Cagliari fifteenth, two factors above Verona who dropped into the relegation zone on aim distinction after being flattened 4-1 by Empoli.
Verona dropped behind Como following a heavy residence defeat — their seventh loss in eight league matches — and an entertaining 2-2 draw for Cesc Fabregas’ aspect at backside membership Venezia.
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