Lazio had taken the lead thanks to a goal from Mattia Zaccagni, but recent additions Kim Min-jae and Kvaratskhelia scored, giving Napoli a precious victory over Maurizio Sarri’s team.
Both teams were under pressure following disappointing draws, and Pedro wasn’t 100 percent healthy and Diego Demme was hurt. Giacomo Raspadori and Tanguy Ndombele were reinstated to the bench by Luciano Spalletti after his lineup adjustments against Lecce.
The goal was finally scored after just over three minutes when Mattia Zaccagni was given too much room and time on the edge of the area to control with his back to goal, turn, and shoot low into the bottom corner.
Kvaratskhelia stole from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and outran Patric, but Ivan Provedel stifled the finish. The Georgian international performed better a short while later, turning Luis Alberto and launching a long, screaming shot that cannoned off the upright.
Kim Min-glancing jae’s header from a corner gave Napoli the equalizer, and Provedel couldn’t stop it until the ball had completely crossed the goal line.
Hirving Lozano was carried off on a stretcher on the cusp of halftime following a nasty head-on collision with Adam Marusic, raising concerns that he may have fractured his cheekbone but aparently Napoli confirmed he have avoided any facial injury.
A slide-rule pass from Matteo Politano, who had just entered the game, found Kvaratskhelia, but his initial touch was a little heavy, allowing Provedel to fly out to parry at his feet. Provedel cleared a Piotr Zielinski header off the line, and Osimhen’s flicked attempt bounced off the far post as Napoli fought hard to start the second half. As Zielinski retreated from the by-line, Kvaratskhelia blasted over from eight yards, and Provedel finger-tipped an angled drive from Osimhen wide.
Zambo Anguissa laid off a ball for Kvaratskhelia to blow into the net from 12 yards away after the pressure paid off.
Lazio responded by having Felipe Anderson dink the ball over Alex Meret, but Mario Rui’s last-ditch near-post interception that put himself at risk of an own goal stopped them. Later, it appeared as though Mario Rui elbowed Manuel Lazzari inside the penalty area, but the referee and VAR chose not to step in.
Amir Rrahmani blocked a Pedro volley with his face, Mario Rui stopped Immobile from nodding in a Toma Basic corner, and Meret flew to stop Felipe Anderson’s backwards header on a free kick. Pedro’s shot at the Stadio Olimpico was just wide of the near post, but Napoli won the game.
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