Napoli 2-1 Juventus: Spalletti suffers first defeat on his Maradona return

Juventus will return to Turin empty-handed as Luciano Spalletti did not beat Napoli on his return to the Stadio Maradona.

The Juventus supervisor opted to discipline Kenan Yildiz as a false 9, supported by Francisco Conceicao and Weston McKennie, leaving Jonathan David and Lois Openda on the bench. Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram linked up in midfield, whereas Andrea Cambiaso and Juan Cabal operated on the flanks.

Alternatively, Antonio Conte launched a 3-4-3 formation spearheaded by Rasmus Hojlund, flanked by Diego Neres and Noah Lang, whereas Scott McTominay and Eljijf Elmas mixed in a makeshift double pivot.

Napoli dominate the primary half

Napoli had been the much better facet from the get-go, firing an early warning via McTominay, whose header whistled previous the submit.

The house facet then took a deserved lead within the sixth minute, when Neres skipped previous Teun Koopmeiners earlier than feeding Hojlund on the mouth of the purpose. The Dane evaded Lloyd Kelly to poach it residence.

Because the minutes progressed, it turned agonisingly apparent that Conte had the higher hand within the tactical battle, as Spalletti’s males had been struggling to construct from the again, whereas the long-ball possibility was equally sterile, particularly within the absence of a battering ram upfront.

So whereas the Bianconeri couldn’t pose a menace at Napoli’s purpose all through the primary half, the reigning champions had been marginally near doubling their lead on a couple of events, however Michele Di Gregorio made a fingertip save on Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s dipping try, whereas one other McTominay header went begging.

Juventus had a short-lived equaliser within the second interval

After the break, Napoli saved pushing for the second, however it was Juventus who forked out an equaliser nearly out of nowhere with their first actual probability of the sport. A elegant crew play culminated with McKennie offering the help for Yildiz, whose exact shot discovered the underside nook from an acute angle, leaving Sinisa Milinkovic-Savic.

Nonetheless, the Bianconeri allowed their hosts to retake the lead with a present of a purpose. Neres tried to seek out Lang with a cross to the again submit. McKennie was capable of beat the Dutch winger to be ball, however his woeful ‘clearance’ brought about extra injury than good, because it allowed Hojlund to nod the ball residence from shut vary.

Juve’s response was nearly non-existent, particularly since Yildiz and Conceicao had been already hooked. Edon Zhegrova had an inviting alternative within the closing minute, however it was too central to bother the goalkeeper.

The Bianconeri stay seventh within the standings, however they’re drifting alarmingly away from the Prime 4 spots.

Napoli 2-1 Juventus

Targets: 7′, 77′ Hojlund (N), 58′ Yildiz (J)

Napoli (3-4-3) : Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Di Lorenzo, McTominay, Elmas, Olivera (69′ Spinazzola); Neres (79′ Politano), Hojlund, Lang (85′ Vergara).

Juventus (3-5-2):  Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Kelly, Koopmeiners; Cambiaso (71′ Kostic), McKennie, Thuram (81′ Zhegrova), Locatelli, Cabal (46′ David); Conceicao (74′ Miretti), Yildiz (74′ Openda).

Yellow playing cards: Buongiorno 33′ (N), Kalulu 52′ (J), Beukema 70′ (N).