On Sunday, Napoli hosted Spanish club RCD Mallorca at the Stadio Teofilo Patini in Castel di Sangro. This was the second friendly played at Castel di Sangro, but the match was far from friendly.
Mallorca, the 16th placed team in the 2021/22 La Liga campaign, were often late with their challenges, much to the dismay of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Hirving Lozano, Eljif Elmas and others.
Napoli, who were sporting the 2022/23 away kit, were awarded a penalty kick in the 8th minute, after Clément Grenier handled the ball in the area. Victor Osimhen stepped up to the spot and smashed the ball into the roof of the goal. With Lorenzo Insigne’s transfer to Toronto FC, it appears Osimhen could be the designated penalty taker this season.
Mallorca equalized 12 minutes into the second half. Alex Meret pushed Vedat Muriqi’s header straight back to Antonio Raíllo, who headed in the rebound.
Neither side created any clear-cut chances until the dying seconds of the match. Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa played a long ball over the top to Matteo Politano. The winger, who replaced Lozano at the half, got behind the Mallorca back line but skied his shot over the bar.
For the second consecutive friendly, the match ended in a draw. Napoli will play their third friendly on August 3rd against Spanish club Girona FC.
Quick hits:
- Mathias Olivera did not suit up due to a migraine headache
- Kim Min-Jae made his first appearance in a Napoli shirt
- Mallorca’s squad featured Kang-in Lee – South Korean teammate of Kim Min-Jae – and ex-Lazio player Vedat Muriqi
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was man of the match yet again
- Viewers who paid €10 to watch the match on Facebook were subjected to audio/video issues for the majority of the first half.
