Lazio caused a big upset by beating Serie A title-chasing SSC Napoli 1-0 in Naples, making it three consecutive wins at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
With the three teams behind them winning earlier in the day, Napoli knew they had a tough challenge ahead, especially as they had failed to beat Lazio in their last four meetings. The hosts started strong, with Giovanni Di Lorenzo charging into the Lazio box and passing to Scott McTominay, whose shot was saved by Ivan Provedel. McTominay continued to threaten, heading wide from a cross by Matteo Politano.
Despite Napoli’s early dominance, Lazio came closest to scoring midway through the first half. Gustav Isaksen broke down the right, cut inside, and fired a shot that forced Alex Meret to make a save. André-Frank Zambo Anguissa nearly scored for Napoli with a volley, but Provedel saved it. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, usually a danger, almost scored with a free-kick just before half-time, but his shot went inches wide.
Lazio started the second half with more energy, and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru almost gave them the lead, hitting the crossbar with a long-range shot. Conte would have been frustrated with his team’s performance after the break, as Napoli failed to hit the target in the first 25 minutes of the second half. Anguissa did hit the woodwork with a header from close range, and it seemed like Napoli’s goal would never come.
Lazio got their goal on 79 minutes. A quick counter-attack saw Tijjani Noslin pass to Isaksen, who took a great touch and curled the ball into the far corner from outside the box. Conte made several changes, hoping for at least a draw, but Lazio held on for the win. This result is good news for Atalanta BC, who now sit top of the table in their quest for their first-ever Serie A title. Napoli will travel to Udinese next week, hoping to bounce back after consecutive losses to Lazio one of them in the Coppa Italia earlier in the week.
