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In the third advance of the 1st round of Serie A, Napoli beat Parma 2-0 and start the championship in the best possible way. In the first part, only boredom wins, with the azzurri holding the ball but not biting. The turning point comes with the entry of Osimhen at 61 ‘, with the Nigerian changing the face of the team. Mertens hits Sepe in the 63rd minute with a precise right, Badge Take a stick and then close the game (77 ‘). Never dangerous ducats.
THE MATCH
Napoli starts off on the right foot, the regulars Mertens and Insigne finish in the scorer, but the man of the day is Victor Osimhen, the most expensive purchase in the history of the Azzurri. The Nigerian striker plays for half an hour and with his entry he changes the face of an ugly Napoli for an hour and unable to create headaches for Sepe. Gattuso goes from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 and with the change of form the chances come, the goals come and, most importantly, three deserved points.
The first part played at the Tardini is deadly boring, with the two goalkeepers practically inactive who could easily have joined the thousands of guests in the stands. The only shot in the mirror is an English right-hander from Manolas and easy to save Ospina after 24 minutes. For the rest total darkness. The Azzurri keep the ball (more than 60% possession of the first fraction), but they do not find exits and constantly hit the ducal wall. The absence of Gervinho weighs heavily on the hosts, so the team never manages to go vertically and in space, with Cornelius and Inglese unable to retain a ball that is one, favoring the task of Manolas and Koulibaly, winners of all the duels.
The start of the recovery is on the line of the first, but the race takes a very different turn with the entry of Osimhen. The former Lille gives quality and depth and the teammates also benefit from it, in particular Lozano who gives important signs of growth and on the right wing does not make the former Callejón regret. As the minutes passed, a Parma that was too evanescent in attack showed fatigue, especially in the center of the field and for the guests the game was going downhill. Mertens unlocks the match and Insigne closes it, in the final Politano plays the trio. For Liverani there is a lot of work to do.
THE REPORT CARDS
Iacoponi 4 – In the first half he has an easy life, his afternoon turns into a nightmare when Osimhen enters. To anticipate with his head, the Nigerian hands Mertens the 1-0 ball, then fails an easy support at the start and sets the stage for the doubling of the guests.
English 5 – Liverani chooses the physical double attacker, but the election does not pay. The former Chievo tries to fight, but loses all the duels with Manolas and after 69 ‘he gives way to Karamoh
Kucka 6 – The deployed attacking midfielder has the merit of fighting for every ball and never removing his leg.
Osimhen 7 – Remain seated on the bench for more than an hour, then enter and change the team’s face, creating great chaos in attack with his accelerations. A jewel the heel that distinguishes Insigne stopped only by the post, near the goal with a diagonal to the side a bit.
Badge 7 – Anonymous like his companions in the first part, he also wakes up in the second part. Stopped by the post, he has the merit of closing the game with a goal from a true forward
Mertens 6.5 – Gattuso prefers him to Osimhen, the Belgian fights like the whole team, but at the first good opportunity he does not fail: there are 126 in the Napoli shirt. And it certainly didn’t end there.
TABLE
PARMA 0-2 NAPLES
Parma (4-3-1-2): Sepe 6.5; Darmian 5.5, Iacoponi 4, Bruno Alves 6, Pezzella 5; Grassi 5.5 (45 ‘st Siligardi sv), Brugman 5 (24’ st Dezi 5.5), Hernani 5; Kucka 6; Cornelius 5, English 5 (24 ‘st Karamoh 6). Available: Alastra, Balogh, Laurini, Dermaku, Ricci, Simonetti, Kasa, Sprocati, Adorante. All.: Liverani 5
Naples (4-3-3): Ospina 6; Di Lorenzo 6, Manolas 6.5, Koulibaly 6.5, Hysaj 5.5; Fabian Ruiz 5.5 (39 ‘st Elmas sv), Demme 5 (16’ st Osimhen 7), Zielinski 5.5 (43 ‘st Lobotka sv); Lausanne 6.5 (39 ‘st Politano 6), Mertens 6.5 (44’ st Petagna sv), Insigne 7. Available: Meret, Contini, Ghoulam, Luperto, Maksimovic, Rrahmani, Mario Rui. All.: Gattuso 6.5
Referee: Mariani
Markers: 18 ‘st Mertens (N), 32’ st Insigne (N)
Ammonites: Demme (N), Darmian (P), Bruno Alves (P), Kucka (P)
Expelled: –
Note: For the first time since the running of the bulls, the fans (1000) returned to the stadium in a championship match.
THE STATISTICS
Napoli have won in their last four Serie A debuts (always out), scoring at least two goals in each.
Lorenzo Insigne is the second Napoli player to score in three consecutive season debuts in the three-point-to-win era, after Marek Hamsik (2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14).
Lorenzo Insigne has participated in seven goals (four and three assists) in the last four debuts of the season in Serie A, after not having participated in any goals in the previous six.
Lorenzo Insigne is only the fifth player to make at least 350 appearances in Napoli history in all competitions, after Marek Hamsik (520), Giuseppe Bruscolotti (511), Antonio Juliano (505) and Moreno Ferrario (396).
For the second season in a row, Napoli’s first goal in Serie A was scored by Dries Mertens (in 2019/20 against Fiorentina).
For the first time in his career in Serie A, Dries Mertens scored in two consecutive season debuts.
It’s only been 2 minutes since Victor Osimhen entered the field and the goal by Dries Mertens that opened the game.
Parma have won just one of their last 19 debut matches in Serie A (13N, 5P).
Presence number 50 in Serie A for Andreas Cornelius.
