Reigning Champions Napoli seized top spot in Serie A after beating Juventus 2-1 at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium yesterday. In a match where the home side well and truly dominated, a brace from Rasmus Hojlund was enough to seal the win for the Naples side after Turkish wonderkid Kenan Yildiz had initially levelled the scores.
Hojlund started up top in Antonio Conte’s 343, with David Neres on his right and Noa Lang on the left. Yildiz and Fransisco Conceicao were the two up top in Juve’s 352 with Dusan Vlahovic’s absence. Juan Cabal and Andrea Cambiasso were on the flanks on the left and right respectively.
From minute 1, the crucial Serie A clash was marked by a relentless, dominant opening spell from the home side. Napoli came out with high intensity, immediately putting the Juventus defense under severe pressure.
The first significant action arrived early in the 5th minute when Napoli earned the first corner of the match following a well-timed defensive intervention by Juventus player Juan Cabal. This pressure paid off almost instantly. In the 7th minute, Napoli broke the deadlock with a goal. Rasmus Højlund struck first, finishing from very close range after an excellent assist and low cross provided by David Neres on the right flank, handing Napoli the early lead.
Napoli almost doubled their advantage immediately after the goal. In the 8th minute, a glancing header by Giovanni Di Lorenzo from a quickly taken corner by Noa Lang was tipped behind by Juventus keeper Michele Di Gregorio. Di Gregorio’s intervention proved crucial in preventing a nightmare start for the visitors. Napoli continued their intense pressure, earning another corner in the 18th minute as they pressed for a second goal.
However, the frantic pace of the match began to slow down around the 23rd minute, allowing Juventus to settle into the game, although they were still unable to create any immediate danger in the final third. Despite the slowing tempo, Napoli managed to create one more high-quality chance before the half-hour mark. In the 28th minute, a strong header from Alessandro Buongiorno off a corner kick was met by a brilliant, decisive diving save from Di Gregorio, who pushed the ball out and kept Juventus firmly in the match.
Discipline, or a lack of it began to feature in the 33rd minute when Napoli’s Alessandro Buongiorno was shown a yellow card for a foul. The half concluded with Napoli leading 1-0, a scoreline that felt fortunate for Juventus given the number of quality saves made by their goalkeeper.
As the second half started, Juventus made a tactical substitution in the 46th minute, with Jonathan David replacing Juan Cabal.
Napoli signaled their intent early in the second half. In the 50th minute, Rasmus Højlund took a powerful shot from the edge of the box, though the ball sailed just over the crossbar, a clear sign that Napoli were not content to sit on their one-goal lead. The physical nature of the game continued, and in the 52nd minute, Juventus’ Pierre Kalulu was booked with a Yellow Card for a bad foul that halted a promising Napoli attack.
Juventus started to find their footing and created a decent opportunity in the 59th minute that turned out to be the equalizer. Kenan Yildiz scored the goal for Juventus. Following neat build-up play in the middle of the pitch, Weston McKennie released Yildiz into the box from the right, and the forward picked out the bottom-left corner with a well-taken finish.
The equalizer dramatically shifted the dynamics of the match. Juventus took control, creating more chances and dictating the pace of the game, forcing Napoli to adjust their strategy.
The managers responded with a flurry of substitutions. In the 70th minute, Napoli’s Sam Beukema received a Yellow Card for a foul, while simultaneously, Napoli brought on Leonardo Spinazzola to replace Mathías Olivera. Juventus responded in the 71st minute, with Filip Kostić replacing Andrea Cambiaso. Further tactical changes followed for Juventus in the 76th minute, bringing on Loïs Openda for the goalscorer Kenan Yildiz and Fabio Miretti for Francisco Conceição.
However, the decisive moment belonged once again to the Danish striker. In the 78th minute, Rasmus Højlund scored his second goal and the match-winner for Napoli. The goal was set up by a David Neres cross that was inadvertently headed back across the goal by Weston McKennie, into Højlund’s path and he made no mistake as he rose highest and put the ball in the back of the net with a header from inside the six-yard box.
In the final minutes, more substitutions were made. In the 80th minute, Matteo Politano replaced David Neres for Napoli, followed by Juventus bringing on Edon Zhegrova for Khéphren Thuram in the 82nd minute. Napoli made their final change in the 86th minute, with Antonio Vergara replacing Noa Lang.
The referee signaled four minutes of added time, during which Juventus desperately pushed for a second equalizer. However, the late efforts proved futile. The match ended with a crucial 2-1 victory for Napoli. Højlund’s brace, capitalizing on excellent service, proved the difference, securing a vital three points for the home side.
