Dominating a game entirely not always translates to success. And Napoli can be the perfect example of that statement. Carlo Ancelotti’s men dominated Sunday’s match against Torino from start to finish, but they couldn’t find the back of the net and as a result, they couldn’t come out on top. The draw certainly feels nice for Torino, but Napoli shouldn’t be happy with this outcome. Especially considering how the game happened.
As soon as the game kicked off, the hosts began to push the lines forward. Arkadiusz Milik and Lorenzo Insigne looked quite dangerous, and the Polish had two clear scoring opportunities before the 20th minute mark but couldn’t capitalise them. The first one came on a cross inside the six-yard box, but his effort went off the right post. And only a few minutes later, Milik tested Sirigu but the former PSG goalkeeper denied him with ease.
Torino didn’t offer much of a threat during the first half, and they were forced to adapt a defensive stance during most of the contest. Milik and Insigne continued to create havoc, and between them missed at least two more clear chances before the half-time break. Things ended 0-0 after the first half, but neither side modified their stance too much ahead of the second 45 minutes.
Napoli tried, tried and tried… but without luck
The visiting side tightened things up after the break and looked better defensively, something that was enhanced with the entrance of Soualiho Meite in place of Tomas Rincon. But since Torino struggled upfront and Andrea Belotti was constantly isolated, Napoli continued to generate the best scoring chances. Milik tested Sirigu again in the 62nd minute, but his effort was once again denied by the talented goalkeeper who, at this stage, was one of the best players in the match.
The final third of the contest didn’t offer a lot of action, aside from one clear chance from Insigne. Even though the intensity increased, so did the aggressiveness from both clubs; the best example of that is the fact that the referee showed six of his eight yellow cards in the final 31 minutes of the match.
Despite trying all game long, Napoli simply couldn’t win the game. And this draw should further complicate their already slim chances of catching Juventus at the top of the Serie A standings.
Match Report
Napoli: Ospina; Malcuit, Maksimovic, Koulibaly, Hysaj; Allan, Zielinski; Fabian Ruiz (Verdi, 70′), Callejon (Mertens, 69′), Insigne; Milik
Bench: Karnezis (GK), Meret (GK), Ghoulam, Chiriches, Diawara, Luperto
Torino: Sirigu; Izzo, N’Koulou, Moretti; De Silvestri, Lukic, Rincon (Meite, 55′), Ansaldi (Parigini, 78′), Aina; Berenguer (Baselli, 63′), Belotti
Bench: Ichazo (GK), Rosati (GK), Damascan, Bremer, Ferigra, Zaza, Iago Falque
Goals: None
Referee: Michael Fabbri
Yellow cards: Insigne, Koulibaly, Allan, Hysaj, Malcuit (NAP); Rincon, Moretti, Aina (TOR)
Red cards: None
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