The Azzurri triumph at the Maradona
Napoli beat Bologna and secured their first home win of the season. The Azzurri largely dominated the match. The first half was balanced, then in the second half, just after the 60-minute mark, there was the decisive play. Costantino Favasuli, who had just come on, ran into the penalty area from the right and crossed the ball in, finding Stanislav Lobotka who took a right-footed volley and scored, with the ball going between the keeper’s legs. His goal sealed the win for Napoli, with the game ending 1-0 for the hosts.
Here are Massimiliano Allegri’s post-match comments:
“Securing this win tonight was not easy. We played against a very physical opponent and we suffered a lot throughout the match. Let’s enjoy this important win and all the excitement that can be felt in the stadium.”
“I got angry towards the end because we passed the ball around in our own half and took some risks, while we should’ve done that in the opponent’s half. But the lads put up a great performance tonight.
“We won thanks to our competitiveness, an element that perhaps was missing in our previous matches. This is the type of journey we need to be on, as we grow in everything we do, especially from a mental point of view, while remaining aware of our qualities.”
Here is what today’s star players had to say:
Stanislav Lobotka, who scored tonight’s match-winning goal: “I’m happy I scored, especially because it was the turning point in a difficult and important game. We needed these three points to climb the table.
“I attacked the space on Favasuli’s cross. I played a bit higher up and I could say that I scored a [Scott] McTominay-style goal and I’m very happy as I wait for Scott to return. I celebrated by hugging [David] Neres on the bench because David told me during warm-up that I would score.”
Leonardo Spinazzola: “We had to win tonight and we did by putting up a good performance. Arriving here after three consecutive losses is hard and bitter, but we know that we can bounce back and we know what this team can do.
“We did better in the second half and we deserved the win. It was a complicated match because Bologna defended well. We needed to grab those three points and we did.
“We increased the pressure in the second half and were rewarded with a goal. Now we need to keep this up with the same resolve.”
Amir Rrahmani: “After three losses we had to bounce back. Scoring in this game wasn’t easy, but we managed to in the second half by playing with great intensity.
“We actually deserved more in our previous games, given the way we performed, but at the end of the day what matters is the final result and tonight we were able to win, which helps us build our confidence for what lies ahead.”
NAPOLI 1-0 BOLOGNA (HT: 0-0)
Scorers: Lobotka 66
NAPOLI: Milinkovic-Savic; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Rafa Marin, Spinazzola, Gilmour, Lobotka, De Bruyne (Olivera 88) Politano (Favasuli 46), Vergara (Noa Lang 46), Hojlund (Lucca 75). Coach: Allegri.
BOLOGNA: Pessina; Holm, Heggem, Theate, Miranda; Pobega (Libra 58), Ferguson, Amondarain (Moro 66) Bernardeschi (Enem 83), Cambiaghi (Mbangula 83), Piccoli (Odgaard 58). Coach: Tedesco (represented on the bench by Tarozzi)
Referee: Bonacina
Booked: Amondarain
