Matteo Marchisano scored his first goal of the season and Gennaro Iaccarino converted a late penalty kick as Napoli defeated relegation-bound Udinese 0-2.
Lineup
Nicolò Frustalupi made two changes to the squad he fielded in the draw to Atalanta. Benedetto Barba returned from suspension to start over Luigi D’Avino in the centre of the back three. With Jorge Alastuey injured, Gennaro Iaccarino dropped to play in the centre of the midfield, allowing Bilel Sahli to play alongside Alessandro Spavone at trequartista. Finally, with Sahli playing deeper, Leonardo Rossi returned to the starting XI to play at striker.
(3-4-2-1) Boffelli; Hysaj, Barba, Obaretin; Acampa, Gioielli, Iaccarino, Marchisano; Spavone, Sahli; Rossi
First Half
The opening 20 minutes of the match were very competitive, but also somewhat frantic, as both sides played with great intensity.
Udinese created the first quality chance of the match in the 20th minute. Napoli cleared James Abankwah’s long free kick out of the Napoli area. Riccardo Castagnaviz pressed high to win the ball back before Benedetto Barba dispossessed Simone Iob in the area. The ball fell to David Pejičić at the edge of the area. The Slovenian sidestepped Francesco Gioielli before curling a left-footed shot towards the bottom corner, but Valerio Boffelli stretched to push the ball aside.
Napoli immediately punished Udinese for the missed opportunity, opening the scoring only a minute later. From the right side of defense, Benedetto Barba played a perfectly weighted long ball over the top. Matteo Marchisano let the ball bounce twice before striking a first-time volley across the face of the goal and into the side netting at the far post.
Udinese responded well, creating their second chance shortly after the restart. Barba’s clearance from the by line only reached Abankwah in the midfield. The defender headed the ball back towards the edge of the area, where Bor Zunec laid it off to Pejičić. The attacking midfielder struck the ball first-time from outside the area, but Boffelli dived to stop the ball from finding the bottom corner.
Udinese continued to push for the equalizer. In the 38th minute, Alberto Centis picked out Pejičić in the area, but the ball skipped off his forehead and went out to touch. On the ensuing throw-in, Bilel Sahli appeared to be fouled by Pejičić but the free kick wasn’t given. Iob picked up the loose ball and squared it to Castagnaviz at the edge of the area. He went for goal with his right, but once again Boffelli made a fine save to protect the clean sheet.
Second Half
While the second half remained competitive, neither side created any quality chances until the 70th minute. Leonardo Buta appeared to foul Marchisano in the Napoli area but the free kick wasn’t given. Marchisano managed to clear the ball from his backside, but played it straight to Centis. The Udinese midfielder beat Boffelli with his curling effort, but the ball crashed off the bar and stayed out.
Udinese’s final chance of the half came in the 80th minute, after midfielder Diego Russo played an in-swinging cross into the area from the left wing. The ball bounced through the crowd and ended up on target, but Boffelli remained focused and pushed the ball aside.
Though Udinese did not create any more chances, Napoli nearly scored an own goal late in the match. Udinese goalkeeper Francesco Di Bartolo played a long ball that bounced over both Gioielli and Daniel Hysaj. Barba got to the ball and launched a clearance straight up in the air and towards his own goal. Had Boffelli not retreated, the ball would have dropped into the back of the Napoli goal. Fortunately for the visitors, Boffelli tipped the ball over the bar.
Napoli were somewhat fortunate to double their lead in the dying minutes. Francesco Gioielli appeared to foul Simone Lozza in the centre of the park. Instead, the free kick was awarded to Napoli. Gennaro Iaccarino chipped the ball towards Enrico Giannini on the left edge of the area. The substitute did really well to take the ball down on his chest and draw a foul from Pejičić in the area, earning Napoli a penalty kick. Iaccarino stepped up and smashed the ball into the top corner to make the score 0-2.
The goal, which was Iaccarino’s first since returning from a long injury absence, guaranteed all three points for the Azzurrini. The triple whistle blew to end the match shortly after the restart.
With the win, combined with Cagliari’s draw to Sassuolo and Atalanta’s loss to Hellas Verona, Napoli inched closer to salvation. The Partenopei host Hellas Verona next, with seven matches remaining in the Primavera 1 campaign.
