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Napoli Downs Juventus With Anguissa And Lukaku Masterclass, Motta'S Debut Ends In Defeat
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Napoli Downs Juventus With Anguissa And Lukaku Masterclass, Motta's Debut Ends In Defeat
Napoli extended their lead at the top of the Serie A standings with a dominant 5-1 victory over Juventus at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Friday night. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Romelu Lukaku were the stars of the show for the Partenopei, with the former scoring a stunning goal and the latter netting twice.
Juventus, meanwhile, were utterly outplayed and looked a shadow of the team that won the Scudetto last season. Their new manager, Claudio Ranieri, has a lot of work to do if he wants to turn things around.
Napoli's dominance
Napoli were simply too good for Juventus on Friday night. They dominated possession, created more chances, and were more clinical in front of goal.
Anguissa opened the scoring for the hosts in the 10th minute with a stunning long-range strike. The Cameroon international controlled the ball on his chest before unleashing a powerful shot that flew into the top corner.
Napoli doubled their lead in the 39th minute through Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian striker latched onto a pass from Anguissa and finished coolly past Wojciech Szczesny.
Juventus pulled a goal back in the 55th minute through Dusan Vlahovic. The Serbian striker headed home from a corner to give his team hope.
However, Napoli restored their two-goal lead just two minutes later through Eljif Elmas. The North Macedonian winger fired home from the edge of the box to make it 3-1.
Lukaku put the game to bed in the 73rd minute with a well-taken penalty. The Belgian striker had only been on the pitch for a few minutes when he was brought down by Leonardo Bonucci in the box.
He made no mistake from the spot, sending Szczesny the wrong way to make it 4-1.
Napoli added a fifth goal in the 90th minute through Giovanni Simeone. The Argentine striker headed home from a corner to complete the rout.
Juventus' struggles
Juventus were simply outplayed by Napoli on Friday night. They looked disjointed and lacked any real attacking threat.
Their new manager, Claudio Ranieri, has a lot of work to do if he wants to turn things around.
One of the main problems for Juventus was their lack of creativity in midfield. They were unable to create any clear-cut chances for their forwards.
Another problem was their defense. They were far too easy to break down, and Napoli created a number of good chances throughout the game.
Overall, it was a disappointing performance from Juventus. They will need to improve significantly if they want to challenge for the Scudetto this season.
Conclusions
Napoli's victory over Juventus was a statement of intent. They are the team to beat in Serie A this season.
Juventus, meanwhile, have a lot of work to do. They need to improve their creativity in midfield and their defense if they want to challenge for the Scudetto.
It will be interesting to see how both teams perform in the coming weeks and months.
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