Serie A, Napoli is the anti-Juventus for the Scudetto. Rome collapses against Spal

ROME – Napoli is the anti Juventus for the Scudetto. Carlo Ancelotti's team took advantage of the bianconeri's misstep, stopped on 1-1 from the newcomer Juric, Genoa, to move up to four in the standings . In the first advance of Saturday, Roma collapsed at home against Spal, came out among the whistles of his fans, and interrupted the positive streak of three consecutive victories.

Napoli stronger than absences, Udinese overwhelmed

The Napoli defeats the Udinese field with authority and shortens the distance on Juventus, blocked at home by Genoa in the late afternoon. The news of the first false step of the leader galvanizes the Neapolitans who take the field with a knife between their teeth and give no respite to the Friulians, appeared immediately dazed by the movement of the opponents and not at ease with the tactical revolution of the form defensive.

The team of Ancelotti, although without Insigne – and with his substitute Verdi out after only 2 'for a muscle trouble -, shows a clear superiority in the possession of the ball since the first bars and for Udinese the mountain to climb becomes still highest: fourth consecutive defeat, of which three at home even if matured with Lazio, Juventus and Napoli. Black shadows thicken on Velazquez, not only for the classification, but also for the few certainties that were seen in the first quarter of the season.

For the Neapolitans a confidence injection before the Champions League against Neymar's PSG, even if the match remained open up to 10 'from the end and in defense Koulibaly had to close the flaws of his team-mates. Naples arrembante and ahead of the 13 'just with the newly-born Fabian Ruiz who, after stealing the ball at the edge of the distracted Fofana and Berhami, draws a curved parabola that exceeds the innocent Scuffet, ending at the intersection. From an error of defense Neapolitan the most delicious opportunity for Udinese that, with Lasagna, touches the draw at 23 ': good former Karnezis who dives and neutralizes a tricky diagonal on the counterattack.

Napoli could double already in the first half with Zielinsky – out of just a very good position – and with Milik who heads completely alone. In the second half Udinese tries timidly with a conclusion from a few steps of Lasagna, but there is never the decisive assault.

The guests keep the field well and a few minutes from the end they close the speech immediately after a self-infantry pole of Samir whose ball clumsy then ends in a corner. Before Mertens scored a penalty awarded to Opoku's hands on the safe conclusion of Callejon, immediately after Rog, just entered, he packed the first ball that touched with the complicity of Scuffet chilled on his pole. The rest is catwalk for a chameleonic Naples that can adapt to opponents, suffer and hit when the opponents are discovered.

Juventus stops, Cristiano Ronaldo is not enough

Genoa interrupts Juventus' streak of victories, 10 between the championship and the Champions League, slowing down their race at the top of the standings. In the lead with Ronaldo, who won the personal duel with the top scorer rossoblù Piontek, reaching 400 goals – first and only in the history of football – in the five major European championships, the bianconeri dominate the game for 60 ', but they do not close it, and they get to the 23 'of the second half from a Bessa horn.

Then a lot, too much confusion, which will force Mr. Allegri to overtime to put things right in view of the Champions League match against Manchester on Wednesday. The South Curva disqualified for the racist chants, and packed with kids from soccer schools, ended up being the most beautiful color of the match, Juventus immediately to charge the Genoa of the debutant Juric with his head down.

The Ligurians suffered at the beginning the technical change and the return to 3-5-2, with the attackers who do not receive balls playable and too far from the rest of the team. Among the Bianconeri Cancelo is the most applauded, with its accelerations, together with Ronaldo, to make him from the bank Cuadrado, preferred to Dybala, and Mandzukic. The first chance of goal is the Portuguese, who at the 14 'hits the post with a whiplash header on the Colombian cross.

They pass 4 'and is Juventus advantage, the Portuguese who scored his fifth goal in Serie A taking advantage of a distraction of the defense genoana, which is found unprepared on the cross of Cancelo. It all seems easy for the hosts, who at 23 'touch the doubling with a nice diagonal of CR7 saved by Radu, another novelty of Juric, and pack other good opportunities.

Until the 8 'of the second half, when Piatek remembers to be the top scorer of the championship and, on the dismissed short of Benatia, leaves a right to start on which the Polish compatriot Szczesny takes refuge in the corner. For the Ligurians it is the signal that the moment has come to dare. At 11 'Piatek again sounds the alarm for Juventus sending a corner to the head.

Allegri sniffs the danger and pulls herself off the bench, but it's all useless because the light has gone out. And at 23 'comes the equal, the defiant defense to watch a ball that seemed destined out, but that does not come out, and Kouame – on the third assist – good to jump into the area a ball that Bessa sends in front door.

Allegri, who had already entered Douglas Costa, also plays Dybala and Bernardeschi cards, but the genoana dam holds until the end. Exults Juric, true black beast of the Bianconeri, against which he scored his only goal as a player and that coach in 2016 beat it for 3-1. Allegri reflects, which sees Juventus come back down to earth. And Napoli, in the field tonight against Udinese, can shorten to 4 points.

Petagna and Bonifazi sink Rome

Dzeko this time misfires, or perhaps Petagna is the Dzeko, and Spal surprisingly misses the ugliest Rome of the season, even worse than the one seen in Bologna: slow, confusing, inconclusive, impalpable. Merit of a square and cynical Spal that brings home, and deservedly, the entire post with two shots on goal (one on penalty) and a defensively perfect match.

It's the beauty of football that confronts a team that has been back from four victories in a row (five with the Champions) and another with zero points in as many games. But, sometimes, the forecasts or the figurines are not enough to win the games and so Simple harnesses Of Francis, playing in the simplest and most utilitarian way in the world. For Di Francesco no alibi, even if he has to deal with the infirmary (Karsdorp, Kolarov, De Rossi, Perotti, Schick) and surprisingly leaves Kluivert on the bench.

Luca Pellegrini also started from the first minute, the protagonist in the negative of the foul that led to the penalty whistled by Pairetto (36 ') for a foul on Lazzari. but Semplici also has to deal with heavy absences (especially in defense with the disqualified Felipe) and chooses Valdifiori director, while in front of Antenucci he sits on the bench, with Paloschi alongside Petagna. Ready, go, and the layout of the game is immediately clear, with Roma aggressive.

The first opportunity for Dzeko at 16 'would seem a good omen but the Bosnian face to face with Milinkovic-Savic (brother of the Lazio player) does not hurt. The Giallorossi push, but they never succeed in realizing the big possession (at the end it will be 62% with 18 shots at six, but the statistics does not bring points); just this lack of concreteness, in the end, pay duty.

It happens on the 38 ', with Lazzari leaving on the right and Pellegrini crashing in the area, when it would have been enough to control it. The penalty is there and Petagna displaces Olsen for the surprising 1-0 that resists until the end of time. In the second half of Francesco does not change, focusing on the desire for revenge of the initial eleventh but the start is, if possible, even worse than the first time: many errors of setting and maneuver too slow to be able to worry the defense Emilia.

At 10 'Roma would have a good opportunity but Dzeko, face to face with the goalkeeper, still wrong. Goal failed, goal conceded: so at 11 'Bonifazi, on the corner of Valdifiori, anticipates Fazio and mockery Olsen: 2-0 and whistles of the Olimpico. Rome is not there, it is so untidy and unhappy, Di Francesco seems to be back in September with his modules children more than the haste of tactics. Cristante and Under come out for Kluivert and Coric (debut), while Semplici covers even more with Everton and Fares and the resulting 3-5-1-1. Pellegrini (21 ') tries to give the shock: his fireball is printed on the crossbar.

It is Olsen, however, to save his team from a possible 3-0 from Petagna. The Spal is perfect in his own half, but the unfortunate Milinkovic in the 33 'combines big, being expelled by Pairetto for double yellow (tax, but right). It changes little, because the shoulder bumper holds the bump – more nervous than anything else – in the Giallorossi that, in the last 10 ', also sees Pastor in the field.

The whole front does nothing but increase the chaos in the middle of the area and the nervousness in the field. At Spal, however, enough and moves forward for the company, while Roma leaves the whistles of the public, after five victories in a row, he thought, wrongly, that he had finally turned. Tuesday is the Champions League and it will be forbidden to make mistakes.

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