Playing at home, Napoli triumphed with a 1-0 victory over Milan in the 31st week of Serie A. The decisive goal was scored by Matteo Politano in the 78th minute, thrilling the local fans.
Politano executed a brilliant individual play starting from the right side, sending a powerful shot that beat the opposing goalkeeper and found the back of the net.
Politano was undoubtedly the standout player of the match, not only for his goal but also for his overall contribution to Napoli’s attacking play.
Defensively, Mathías Olivera also played a crucial role, making significant contributions by clearing the ball from the danger zone on two occasions.
Napoli’s manager, Antonio Conte, opted for a 3-6-1 formation with Vanja Milinkovic Savic in goal; Juan Jesus, Alessandro Buongiorno, and Mathías Olivera forming the defensive line; and a midfield comprising Leonardo Spinazzola, Frank Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka, Miguel Gutiérrez, Kevin De Bruyne, and Scott McTominay, with Giovane Santana leading the attack.
On the opposing side, Massimiliano Allegri fielded his squad in a 3-5-2 setup. Mike Maignan manned the goal, supported by Fikayo Tomori, Koni De Winter, and Strahinja Pavlovic in defense. The midfield included Alexis Saelemaekers, Luka Modric, Youssouf Fofana, Adrien Rabiot, and Davide Bartesaghi, while Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Füllkrug were deployed up front.
The match was officiated by referee Daniele Doveri at the iconic Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Looking ahead, Napoli will face Parma in their next match, whereas Milan will host Udinese.
As a result of this victory, Napoli now sits in second place in the league table with 65 points, while Milan holds third position with 63 points.
Substitutions for Napoli
69’ 2T – Giovane Santana was replaced by Alisson Santos.
73’ 2T – Leonardo Spinazzola made way for Matteo Politano.
84’ 2T – Juan Jesus was substituted for Sam Beukema and Kevin De Bruyne was replaced by Eljif Elmas.
Yellow Cards for Napoli:
11’ 1T – Alessandro Buongiorno (Unsporting Behavior) and 36’ 2T – Matteo Politano (Unsporting Behavior).
Substitutions for Milan
61’ 2T – Alexis Saelemaekers was substituted for Zachary Athekame.
62’ 2T – Niclas Füllkrug was replaced by Santiago Giménez.
72’ 2T – Christopher Nkunku made way for Christian Pulisic.
81’ 2T – Fikayo Tomori was substituted for Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
82’ 2T – Youssouf Fofana was replaced by Rafael Leão.