Midfielder's late, late strike snatches three points against Cagliari
Napoli beat Cagliari in dramatic fashion to claim victory in their first game of the season in front of the Maradona faithful.
Frank Anguissa steered home Alessandro Buongiorno's low cross in the dying seconds of stoppage time to finally break the deadlock and send the crowd wild with delight.
Antonio Conte expressed his relief after the game.
"It looked like it would never to go in today! When Anguissa stuck it away I screamed 'At last!' The lads bided their time and kept probing in attack while holding their shape. We showed real determination and intensity and that makes me very happy.
“We took some risks knowingly but you have to scrap for it in games like this because no one gives you anything for free. We're improving our possession play but we weren't as good at getting into the area as we needed to be.
“It was a real team performance. We kept our heads and waited for the right time to attack. It's a big win because the team showed they're with it. I'm also happy that a youngster from the Napoli academy like [Giuseppe] Ambrosino was able to contribute to the win.”
Speaking immediately after the final whistle, match-winner Anguissa said: “I'm so happy for me and for the team. We kept attacking right till the end and got a deserved victory.
“We managed the game well. Cagliari defended really well and tried to hit us on the break but we kept our shape and stayed in control of the game. It's a massive win – especially for the fans, who were behind us the whole time.”
Alex Meret spoke at the post-match press conference.
“It's a big win and a strong sign for the league. We kept battling and kept believing till the end.
“We showed a big-team mentality. We had the right attitude and focus. It was a patient, mature, balanced display.”
Napoli 1-0 Cagliari (HT 0-0)
Scorer: Anguissa 90+5.
NAPOLI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus (Buongiorno 68), Spinazzola (Olivera 81), Politano, Lobotka, Anguissa, De Bruyne (Noa Lang 81), McTominay, Lucca (Ambrosino 75).
Coach:. Conte
CAGLIARI (3-5-1-1): Caprile; Zappa (Luvumbo 58), Mina, Luperto, Palestra (Di Pardo 83), Adopo, Prati (Gaetano 66), Deiola, Obert; Folorunsho (Idrissi 83), S. Esposito (Borrelli 66).
Coach: Pisacane
Referee: Bonacina (Lecco).
Booked: De Bruyne, Zappa, Juan Jesus.
