The sky-blue machine doesn’t show signs of stopping! Napoli beat Udinese to make it four wins from their first four games of the Serie A campaign.Last season, Napoli clumsily missed out on a Champions League qualification spot on the last day of the season, but this term they look like a far more cohesive and consistent team. Led by new manager Luciano Spalletti, talismanic captain Lorenzo Insigne and rampant Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, the Campania club will look to take advantage of any slipup made by Juventus, Inter and Milan and try to get their hands on the Scudetto that’s been escaping them since 1990.Insigne was the man to ignite his team on their trip to the north of the country against a quality Udinese side. He timed his run well and chipped the home goalkeeper Marco Silvestri from a tight angle. The ball looked like it was going to creep over the line anyway, but Osimhen made sure he powered it into the net just in case.
Spalletti made his team attack from various weapons this season, and set pieces are certainly one of them. The visitors ran a play straight off the training ground and fooled the entire Udinese defence as big defender Kalidou Koulibaly centered for Amir Rrahmani to head strongly from close range and leave Silvestri helpless.
It was a cool two-goal lead at the break, but Spalletti’s men kept on coming in the second half and showed a distinct lack of compassion for the Zebre’s woes. Koulibaly scored a wonderful goal with his right foot less than ten minutes into the second half. It was a finish worthy of a top striker. Silvestri looked on in agony as the away fans jumped around the shell-shocked Dacia Arena.
It’s difficult to tell which of the goals was the nicest, so Mexican winger Hirving Lozano popped up with a sublime curling finish late on to make it 4-0 and utterly humiliate the hosts.
Neapolitans celebrated wildly as they savoured the feeling they didn’t have in years – being the leaders of Serie A!SERIE A – Round 4FridaySassuolo – Torino 0-1 (0-0)/Pjaca 83/SaturdayGenoa – Fiorentina 1-2 (0-0)/Criscito 90+8 – Saponara 60, Bonaventura 89/Inter – Bologna 6-1 (4-0)/Martinez 6, Skriniar 30, Barella 34, Vecino 54, Dzeko 63, 68 – Theate 86/Salernitana – Atalanta 0-1 (0-0)/Zapata 75/SundayEmpoli – Sampdoria 0-3 (0-1)/Caputo 31, 52, Cadreva 70/Venezia – Spezia 1-2 (0-1)/Ceccaroni 51 – Bastoni 13, Bourabia 90+4)Verona – Roma 3-2 (0-1)/Barak 49, Caprari 54, Faraoni 63 – Pellegrini 36, Ilic (og) 58/Lazio – Cagliari 2-2 (1-0)/Immobile 45, Cataldi 83 – Pedro 46 Balde 62/Juventus – Milan 1-1 (1-0)/Morata 4 – Rebic 76/MondayUdinese – Napoli 0-4 (0-2)/Osimhen 24, Rrahmani 35, Koulibaly 52, Lozano 84/