Napoli and Inter Milan played this Saturday at Sao Paolo Stadium. It was expected to be a huge battle between the two top teams in the Serie A this season, and the stakes were quite high considering the winner would end the day all alone at the top of the standings. And while the game was extremely intense, neither side managed to dominate the other. Everything ended with a 0-0 draw that kept Napoli at the top of the league standings while maintaining Inter as one of the two undefeated sides in the competition.
Napoli created the best chances in the first half
Both sides featured their best attacking players in this game. Napoli had Dries Mertens, Jose Callejon and Lorenzo Insigne upfront, while Inter countered with Mauro Icardi leading the way. But it was undeniable that Napoli looked far more comfortable during the first half. There was not a lot of action in the early going, but Napoli began to threaten in the final once they settled on the pitch. But Samir Handanovic was magnificent time and time again to deny the hosts’ attacking attempts.
Mertens had the first clear chance in the 20th minute with an attempt from the edge of the box, but Handanovic parried it away with an impressive stretched save. Callejon pounced on a rebound just one minute later, but once again found the Slovenian’s hands to keep the clean sheet. Through 25 minutes Napoli were much better, as Inter could not found themselves out there and Icardi looked isolated upfront.
Insigne had one final chance before the half-time break when he attempted a header on target that was easily saved by Handanovic. Inter woke up towards the end, however, and Icardi had a big chance to score when he made himself enough space inside the box to test Pepe Reina, but the Spanish goalkeeper was magnificent to save the shot. The first half ended with a scoreless draw, but there was a clear supremacy from Napoli after the first 45 minutes.
Inter’s reaction after the half-time break
Luciano Spalletti was not happy with his side’s display during the first 45 minutes. And apparently he gave the team a much-needed pep talk in the dressing room, because the Giuseppe Meazza side looked quite improved in the second half. Icardi began to find spaces in the final meters, and once again came close to score with a close-range attempt that was easily blocked by the opposing defenders.
However, Inter’s reaction did not last long. Marek Hamsik took over in midfield and Napoli began to exchange passes in the middle of the pitch, securing possession and moving the ball around. But Inter’s defensive line looked far better in the second 45 minutes. The duo of Joao Miranda and Milan Skriniar improved as the game went on, and both players ended annulling Mertens in the second half. That’s something no other defence in the league had done in the past few games.
Both teams tried to spark things up towards the end of the game. Spalletti tried to add pace with the entrance of Joao Mario, while Maurizio Sarri added fresh legs in midfield with Piotr Zielinski and Marko Rog in place of Hamsik and Allan, respectively. But the changes did not pay off, and the final minutes were pretty lackluster. It seemed both clubs were happy with the draw, and the referee blew the final whistle with a 0-0 draw as the final result.
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to imagine either side being unhappy with the draw. Perhaps Napoli deserved better luck based on the amount of chances they created, but they will certainly take a point considering the opposition. After all, Inter have one of the best defences in the league with only five goals conceded in the Serie A. Inter wasted a huge change to climb towards the top of the standings, but for the second week in a row they showed they can compete with any team in the league. And that’s a massive step forward considering where the club was just 12 months ago.
Match Report
Napoli: Reina (6); Hysaj (6), Raul Albiol (7) Koulibaly (6), Ghoulam (6); Allan (5) (Rog (-), 76′), Jorginho (6), Hamsik (7) (Zielinski (5), 72′); Callejon (6), Mertens (5), Insigne (6) (Ounas (-), 80′)
Inter Milan: Handanovic (8); D’Ambrosio (7), Skriniar (6), Miranda (6), Nagatomo (6); Vecino (7), Gagliardini (6); Candreva (7) (Joao Cancelo (-), 83′), Borja Valero (5) (Joao Mario (5), 71′), Perisic (6); Icardi (6) (Eder (-), 87′)
Goals: None
Referee: Luca Banti
Yellow Cards: Miranda (66′), Koulibaly (90+2′)
Red Cards: None
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