Six Napoli players were in action on Saturday: Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori, Eljif Elmas, Jens Cajuste and Amir Rrahmani.
New Coach, Same Results
Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Matteo Politano were in Luciano Spalletti’s starting XI against North Macedonia. With only a week to prepare for his first match as manager of the Italian national team, Spalletti would have welcomed the opportunity to play a pair of players already familiar with his system. Di Lorenzo constantly underlapped Politano on the right wing, as the players are accustomed to doing at Napoli. However, the pair weren’t quite as influential as they typically are, perhaps due to the condition of the pitch.
In the 12th minute, Di Lorenzo played a first-time ball to Politano into the right channel. The Napoli right winger appeared to have his man beat but scuffed the ball on the cross. Politano looked down at the pitch after launching the ball straight out for a goal kick. Midway through the half, Politano picked out Di Lorenzo on the underlap, but the Napoli captain was unable to control the pass over his shoulder and the ball rolled out for a corner kick.
Though Italy dominated possession and created the lion’s share of the scoring opportunities, North Macedonia looked threatening on the counterattack. The Balkans had their best opportunity of the half in the 19th minute, after Politano conceded possession at midfield. Ezgjan Alioski immediately countered before playing a perfect cross to Bojan Miovski in the area, but the forward’s header finished narrowly wide of the mark.
Whether it was due to a difficult first half or a calf injury (as reported by Gianluca Di Marzio), Politano was replaced by Nicolò Zaniolo at the break. Though Italy opened the scoring shortly after the restart, the visitors looked far more vulnerable in the second half.
Eljif Elmas was North Macedonia’s biggest attacking threat, attempting four shots in the match. The Napoli forward/midfielder nearly scored on two occasions in the second half. In the 67th minute, Elmas made a weaving run into the area before Giorgio Scalvini cleared the danger. The ball fell to the North Macedonia winger on the ensuing corner kick, but his tiragiro narrowly missed the far post. In the 75th minute, Bojan Dimovski won a free kick in a dangerous area. Alioski’s effort was blocked by the Italian wall but the rebound fell to Jani Atanasov outside the area. His effort was redirected by Elmas in front of the goal but Donnarumma was well-positioned to make the save.
Elmas continued to push forward and in the 79th minute he won yet another free kick in a dangerous area, after Zaniolo barged the North Macedonian off the ball. Ennis Bardhi stepped up and executed a perfect free kick, curling the ball around the wall, into the top corner at the far post. Needing a goal, Spalletti replaced Sandro Tonali with Giacomo Raspadori, but entering the match in the 89th minute, the Napoli forward had too little time to make an impact.
After ending Italy’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification hopes with a stoppage-time winner in March of 2022, North Macedonia have now put a small dent in Italy’s hopes of qualifying for UEFA Euro Germany 2024. Elmas, who earned his 50th cap for his country, addressed the poor playing conditions after the match.
“[It was] a difficult match against a great squad like Italy. We played on a bad pitch and I apologize to all Italians. It was difficult for everyone but we are happy with the point.”
Cajuste Coasts
Jens Cajuste played the full 90 minutes in Sweden’s 0-5 drubbing of Estonia in UEFA Euro 2024 Group F Qualifying. Though he lined up in the centre of Sweden’s 4-4-2 formation, Cajuste demonstrated that he’s capable of playing as a pivot, backing up Stanislav Lobotka. The 1.88-meter-tall 24-year-old was calm on the ball, scanning his surroundings before turning or playing the quick outlet pass to the wing.
The Napoli midfielder also showed that he can play in the ‘Anguissa role’, getting forward to support the attack. In the 23rd minute, he played a clever backheel pass to Dejan Kulusevski in the area, but nothing came of the attack. However, there is certainly room for improvement for the young Swede. His passing occasionally lacked quality or precision and he appeared to tire in the second half. With Sweden enjoying a comfortable lead, Cajuste began to walk around the pitch.
Amir Rrahmani played the full 90 minutes in Kosovo’s 2-2 draw against Switzerland in UEFA Euro 2024 Group I Qualifying. The Napoli central defender, who was wearing the captain’s armband for the 25th time, was influential at both ends of the pitch.
In the 65th minute, with Kosovo trailing by a goal, Rrahmani played a perfectly-weighted long ball over the top to Milot Rashica as he ran into the right channel. The second striker chased the ball down before crossing on the volley to Vedat Muriqi, who was left completely unmarked in front of the goal. The former Lazio striker head the ball past Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer to equalize.
The match appeared to be heading for a 1-1 draw, but there was still plenty of action to come. Switzerland restored their lead in the 79th minute. Rrahmani attempted to block the shot of Bologna striker Remo Freuler, who scored Switzerland’s first, and inadvertently redirected the ball into the top corner of his own goal. To make matters worse, Rrahmani was cautioned for dissent. The Kosovo captain was furious that match official Jakob Kehlet did not call a foul moments prior to the goal, when Cedric Itten collided with Ermal Krasniqi.
Though the own goal was unavoidable, Rrahmani was determined to make amends. In the final minute of stoppage time, the central defender controlled a Switzerland clearance with his chest and pushed forward. After a give-and-go with Edon Zhegrova, Rrahmani calmly turned in the area and cut the ball back to substitute Meriton Korenica. He played a back-heel flick to Muriqi, who equalized for a second time in the match. With the late draw, Kosovo maintained a sliver of hope of qualifying for the European Championship.
