Dybala’s Roma comeback from 0-2 in Milan and celebrate Napoli

After suffering their first defeat in Serie A on Wednesday, Napoli, leaders of Italian football, reacted in the best possible way, winning 2-0 away against Sampdoria, this Sunday on matchday 17, in a match marked by the memory of the deceased Gianluca Vialli and Sinisa Mihajlovic.

With 44 points, the Neapolitans, who had just lost against Inter, strengthen their leadership, starting with five points over the second and now taking seven points ahead, as Milan draw 2-2 at home against Roma.

Milan also gave up second place to Juventus, with whom they are level on points. The Turinese had won 1-0 against Udinese (8th) on Saturday and remain seven points behind the Neapolitans, who thus ensure that they finish the first leg of the tournament in the lead (‘winter champions’, according to the name honorific in Italy).

The fight for the lead began in Genoa, on the Sampdoria field. Napoli misses a penalty in the 6th minute with Matteo Politano and the afternoon looks ugly. But the leaders broke the deadlock thanks to Victor Osimhen’s goal in the 19th minute, following an assist from Mario Rui, which allowed the Nigerian to consolidate the top scorer.

Osimhen was decisive just before the break when he provoked the free kick in the 39th minute which sent off Venezuelan Tomás Rincón. Kvicha Kvaratshkhelia squandered two good chances (21, 45+2) and the man in charge of giving Napoli peace was the Norse-born Eljif Elmas, who converted a penalty into 82.

Gio Simeone did not enter the 2-0 draw for Napoli who gave him the lead alone.

Napoli goals

With Dybala, Roma returned to Milan

Milan played knowing that Napoli had already won and took the lead through goals from Frenchman Pierre Kalulu (30′) and Tommaso Pobega (77′), but then squandered their lead in the end when Roma equalized with the Brazilian Roger Ibáñez da Silva (87′) and the English Tammy Abraham (90+3).

Mourinho’s men didn’t play a good game and equalized with little football but pushing and appealing to pragmatism. Captain Ibañez won in the box from a corner kick and headed. And the draw came down a similar route. Goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu rebounded after another header and it was now England’s Abrahm who equalized when three discounts were played.

After the scare caused by Paulo Dybala in the match against Bologna when he asked for a substitution, the Cordovan played the whole match without problems.

The 2-2 froze the San Siro fans, who in the previous moments had celebrated what they considered an assured victory.

Milan coach Stefano Pioli regretted “not winning a game in which we played so well”.

“We have to keep playing like this, but matches last 95 minutes,” he resigned.

Something similar happened to Lazio (5th), who drew 2-2 at home against Empoli (13th) even though they reached the final stretch with a two-goal lead. They therefore remain three points behind Inter’s fourth place and therefore outside the Champions area, a priority objective.

The Brazilians Felipe Anderson (2) and Mattia Zaccagni (54) gave the team from the capital the lead and everything seemed to point to a quiet victory, but the Tuscan rival then equalised, with goals from Francesco Caputo (83) and the Romanian Razvan Marin (90 +1).

Lazio (5th) and Rome (6th), with their respective draws, remain level on points in the standings.

In the other matches this Sunday, Spezia (17th) and Lecce (12th) drew 0-0, while Salernitana (14th) and Turin (10th) drew 1-1.

In that match the Paraguayan Antonio Sanabria gave Torino the lead and the Dutch Tonny Vilhena equalized in the 49th minute for the Salernitans.

With information from AFP