Napoli Primavera lost their third match in four (drawing the other) after conceding in the 86th minute for a second consecutive game. As a result, the Partenopei have a very slim chance of avoiding the relegation playoff.
Lineup
icolò Frustalupi made three changes to the squad he fielded in the draw to Milan. Claudio Turi made his first league start over Valerio Boffelli, who was not available. With Matteo Marchisano still injured, Lamine Gningue started again on the right side of the midfield. Meanwhile, Bilel Sahli returned from injury to start over Cedrick Koffi.
(3-4-2-1) Turi; Hysaj, D’Avino, Obaretin; Acampa, Gioielli, Iaccarino, Gningue; Sahli, Spavone; Rossi
First Half
Juventus immediately pressured Napoli, shifting the play into the Napoli half, and created their first chance 10 minutes after the kickoff. Joseph Nonge squared the ball to Riccardo Turicchia at the edge of the area. The left back went for goal from outside the area but caught too much of the goal and Claudio Turi pushed the shot aside.
The home side would have opened the scoring two minutes later had it not been for the brilliance of Turi. Juventus captain Andrea Bonetti struck the ball beautifully from outside the area but Turi stretched fully to punch the ball away from the top corner.
Napoli responded with a chance of their own. The Azzurrini pressed high on a Juventus goal kick and forced a turnover in the middle of the park. Alessandro Spavone played Leonardo Rossi into the Juventus area. The Napoli forward ran at central defender Alessandro Citi before striking the ball into the outside of the goal.
The home side continued to push for the opening goal. In the 25th minute, Gioielli was unable to control an awkward pass from Luigi D’Avino at midfield. The Bianconeri immediately countered through Nicolò Turco. The striker carried the ball to the edge of the area before going for goal, but his low shot bounced narrowly wide of the mark.
Five minutes later Juventus found their goal. Bonnetti played a vertical pass to pick out Luis Hasa with far too much space between the lines. He played a diagonal pass to Kenan Yildiz, making the run towards the centre of the area. Though the pass was behind him, Yildiz made set himself up with an excellent first touch before slotting a low show past a helpless Turi to give Juventus the lead.
Other than a D’Avino header straight at goalkeeper Giovanni Daffara, Napoli struggled to create much in attack. Meanwhile, the Bianconeri were hungry for goals.
In the 36th minute, Spavone was dispossessed by Turicchia and once again Juventus were quick on the counter. The left back played a give-and-go with Samuel Mbangula to break into the area, but Turi was quick off his line to stop the shot from a tight angle.
Turi came up big four minutes later, after Daniel Hysaj was cautioned for a dangerous tackle on Yildiz. With the free kick from 25 yards yards out, Hasa went direct for goal. The midfielder’s powerful strike was dipping into the bottom corner, but once again Turi stretched fully to make the save.
Second Half
Frustalupi made two changes at the break, replacing Francesco Gioielli and Bilel Sahli with Simone Bonavita and Cedrick Koffi. The changes paid off, with Koffi assisting on the equalizer less than two minutes after the restart. The play started with Gennaro Iaccarino playing the ball out to wide Lamine Gningue, who played the extra pass down the line to Spavone. The attacking midfielder crossed the ball to Koffi in the area. The substitute calmly controlled the ball at the penalty spot before teeing up Davide Acampa, who fired into the top corner from close range.
The home side nearly restored the lead only minutes after the equalizer. Juventus showed how again just how dangerous their counterattack can be, breaking out after a Napoli free kick. Mbangula sprung Yildiz at midfield. The Turkish forward ran straight down the middle of the park before laying the ball off to Bonetti for a free shot. The Juventus captain beat Turi but not the upright.
Napoli’s best chance of the half came just before the hour mark. Acampa split between two Juventus defenders before tapping the ball forward to Koffi in the area. The forward carried to the by line before cutting the ball back towards Spavone in front of the goal. It seemed Spavone would tap the ball into the empty goal but Turicchia snuck in to make the crucial tackle before Juventus ultimately cleared the danger.
Minutes later the home side came close to retaking the leading, once again on the break. Nonge burst through the midfield before picking up the late run from Turicchia. His cut-back was blocked by D’Avino in front of the Napoli goal, and though the ball rolled between the legs of Turi, it finished wide of the goal.
Juventus continued to push for the winner, creating their next chance in the 75th minute. Hasa played Yildiz into the left side of the area. He ran at D’Avino, dribbling onto his left foot before striking the ball narrowly over the bar.
However, Napoli did not roll over, creating an excellent chance two minutes later. Turi played a long free kick to the edge of the Juventus area. Rossi took one touch to control the ball, then turned and fired towards the bottom corner. Like Turi in the first half, Daffara needed a full stretch to stop the shot.
It seemed like Napoli might hold on for the draw, but for the second consecutive match, the Partenopei conceded in the 86th minute. Alessandro Citi rose up to win the header on the out-swinging corner kick from Hasa and directed the ball into the bottom corner at the far post.
Unlike their senior team, Juventus did not sit back after taking the lead. Instead, they continued to attack, forcing Turi to make two more saves in the dying minutes of the match, first on Yildiz and then on Nonge.
With their third defeat in four matches, Napoli seem destined for the relegation playoff. The Azzurrini remained seven points behind Cagliari after the Isolani suffered a 1-3 loss to Bologna. Napoli will need to win their final three matches, and hope for both Cagliari and Atalanta to drop 6-7 points, in order to get out of the relegation playoff zone, which seems highly unlikely.
