Napoli extended their lead at the top of the table to 19 points, scoring a poker in front of 10,000 traveling supporters at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino. Here are three takeaways selected by Forza Napoli Press.
Air Victor
After a towering header against Eintracht Frankfurt, Victor Osimhen bagged a brace of headers away at Torino. The first took a slightly fortuitous bounce, appearing to come off the Nigerian’s shoulder, while the second snuck inside the post after a deep cross from Mathias Olivera. Between Anguissa’s flick, Di Lorenzo’s run, Kvaratskhelia’s soon-to-be-trademarked backheel pass, Olivera’s cross to the second post and Osimhen’s finish, the Partenopei’s second goal demonstrated just how rapid and lethal Napoli’s attack can be.
Osimhen’s second goal brought his league tally to 21, seven clear of Lautaro Martinez in the race for Capocannoniere. Of his 25 goals in all competitions, eight have been scored with his head.
Torino’s Response
Torino’s best spell of the match was the 20-minute period immediately after Osimhen’s opening goal. Alex Meret stopped powerful strikes from Nikola Vlasic and Matteo Ricci. Meret was fortunate not to concede after spilling a rebound to Antonio Sanabria before the striker hit the upright. However, to his credit, the Napoli shot-stopper saw the initial effort late and did just enough to disrupt him. Mergim Vojvoda’s effort in the 24th minute didn’t miss by much, nor did Sanabria’s header after Ricci’s effort was blocked for a corner kick. As a result of those chances, Torino finished the match with an xG of 1.42. Only Milan and Atalanta have registered a higher xG against Napoli in Serie A.
Nevertheless, the Azzurri recorded their 18th clean sheet in all competitions and their ninth in the club’s last 11 matches, conceding only two goals during that run. Over two legs against Torino this season, Napoli won by a combined score of 7-1.
Strength in Depth
Luciano Spalletti made two changes to the squad he fielded against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday. Mathias Olivera started over Mario Rui at left back while Hirving Lozano started over Matteo Politano on the right wing. With Politano and Lozano seeming to have found their form at the same time, the argument could be made that left back and right wing are two of Napoli’s strongest positions.
With a three-goal lead, Spalletti began to utilize his bench. Tanguy Ndombele has steadily improved over the course of the season and he was rewarded for his efforts in the 68th minute. Osimhen once again showed his pace and strength, chasing down the long ball from Eljif Elmas and fighting off the attempted tackles from Perr Schuurs. Kvaratskhelia teed up the Frenchman, who coolly rolled the ball between the legs of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to score his first ever goal in Serie A. Meanwhile, Kvara became the first player in the league to reach double-digit assists.
Giovanni Simeone replaced Osimhen in the 71st minute, making his longest league appearance since Matchday 9 against Cremonese. Even Gianluca Gaetano and Leo Østigård were given a rare opportunity to play, affording Stanislav Lobotka and Amir Rrahmani a few extra minutes of rest.
