With the champions’ spirited 2-1 victory over Atalanta on Saturday, Walter Mazzarri made a triumphant return to the Napoli bench. Meanwhile, AC Milan managed to hang on to third place in Serie A with their 1-0 victory over Fiorentina.
Eljif Elmas scored the game-winning goal eleven minutes from the finish at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo. Ademola Lookman’s equalising header on the stroke of halftime had tied Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s headed opening goal for the visiting team.
After Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi made a poor clearance, North Macedonia midfielder Elmas scored the game-winning goal from substitute Victor Osimhen’s pass, ensuring that Napoli would finish fourth.
The leaders Inter Milan, who will play second-place Juventus this weekend in Turin on Sunday, are still seven points ahead of Mazzarri’s club.
“The team dominated all last season, playing some of the best football in Europe with players who were not used to being in that position,” Mazzarri stated to DAZN.
“There was always going to be some drop-off after that.”
After Rudi Garcia was fired last week, Mazzarri rejoined Napoli to take up a position he left just over ten years ago. Mazzarri was the driving force behind the biggest club in southern Italy’s resurgence to the top division of Italian football.
The 62-year-old led Napoli to their first major title in more than 20 years, the 2012 Italian Cup, where they stunned league leaders Juventus in the final. A year later, they finished second in Serie A before the player left for Inter Milan.
And he came away with three points from the match on Saturday, as his team overcame Lookman’s equaliser in the 53rd minute and avoided losing when Mario Pasalic’s strike was disallowed in the 68th due to Teun Koopmeiners’ straying offside.
Osimhen’s recovery from his hamstring injury in time for Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Real Madrid will also be a benefit for Mazzarri.
With two games left, Napoli is in second position in Group C, four points clear of third-place Braga, who play Union Berlin, and five points behind leaders Madrid.
“I didn’t need to be in charge of Napoli to know that Osimhen is a great striker, I’d already seen him play,” Mazzarri remarked.
“I hope he gets back to his best form back as soon as he can.”
After a little period of time, Napoli occupied the third spot, but Milan overtook their competitors with a penalty kick from Theo Hernandez in a victory that saw 15-year-old Francesco Camarda become the league’s youngest player ever.
France’s centre back Hernandez was hauled down by Fabiano Parisi and calmly tapped home from the spot in first-half stoppage time.
That was the high point of a lacklustre display by Milan, who had won their previous five league games without the services of top player Rafael Leao, suspended Olivier Giroud, Noah Okafor, and others.
Leao, a winger from Portugal, will also miss Tuesday’s match against Borussia Dortmund, which might be vital for Milan’s chances of winning the Champions League.
Due to several absences, teenage forward Camarda was called up from Milan’s youth ranks and replaced Luka Jovic with seven minutes left, having just lost a fantastic opportunity to score his debut goal for the team.
And just when it appeared that Rolando Mandragora would equalise from a few inches away, Mike Maignan preserved the victory deep into stoppage time with an incredible stop.
Coach Stefano Pioli told Sky, “Once we start to get more consistent results again, we can get back to playing beautiful football.”
“There are times where you have to do things this way.”
After Lazio lost 2-1 to Salernitana, the bottom team in the division, Maurizio Sarri hinted that he would leave the team. Antonio Candreva’s incredible strike proved to be the difference in the game.
“If it turns out that I’m the problem I’ll take responsibility and I’ll tell the owner to make a change,” Sarri told the press.
After finishing second last season, Lazio is now in 10th place with 17 points after suffering their sixth defeat in an unforgiving league season.