Instead, the side of Antonio Conte was hampered by Claudio Ranieri's Roma, although the Giallorossi had introduced a largely second string line-up to let their most important players for the Coppa Italia clash with Milan. Ranieri's risky approach has paid off and Napoli remained behind from Angelin's toxic left-wing strike, a shot that struck Napoli fans like a blow.
New arrival Nicola Zalewski immediately left its mark in the Milan -Internal game. Tijjani Reijnders, in good shape for the Rossoneri, had made Milan ahead. It seemed that time almost up and with Inter de Nerazzurri, who struggled in the rankings, the rivals of Napoli may have won a victory that the gap would have widened.
Then, in the 93rd minute, Zalewski (on loan from Roma) delivered a perfectly timed breast pass to set the equalizer of Stefan de Vrij, to save a dramatic draw. That very moment might also have been reflected in Napoli's game.
In the other field, Napoli's match against Roma started promising, although without any striking individual versions (for example, Mile Svilar had little to offer). Napoli took the lead when the former Roma man Leonardo Spinazzola benefited from a smart orchestrated movement, a long throw by a defender found the outside on the left, slipping between the defensive lines. Gianluca Mancini was caught, the line broke and lost a speed duel with his former partner, while Svilar incorrectly estimates a dangerous situation, allowing Spinazzola to score a beautifully manufactured lob.
The Roma side, initially appeared with a line -up full of reserves, gradually turned the tide. As the game progressed, Ranieri introduced some of his most important players, starting with Alexis Saelemaekers, the Belgian quickly created damage to the defense of Napoli. In the dying minutes, after an intense match, Matias Soulé (who had chosen to stay in Rome, despite offers from clubs such as Napoli), supplied a precise vertical pass to Saelemaekers. From Diep, Saelemaekers sent a teasing cross that Angelino met a perfectly affected volley in the far corner, which took the score.
It felt like, if the game lasted a few minutes longer, Roma might have been throwing a victory. After the 75th minute, Napoli seemed to be complacent, an attitude that rarely pays in the Serie A against teams like Roma.
Now, with Inter only three points on drift and a game in hand, Napoli can only hope that Inter will stumble against Fiorentina if they want to return to winning ways. After the sale of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and missing important market goals (from Alejandro Garnacho), Napoli was forced into a loan agreement for Noah Okafor, a movement that hardly feeds Scudetto ambitions.
Conte will have to make a real masterpiece if he expects to win victories such as those against Roma. The title Duel is far from over: Napoli has missed an opportunity to stretch their lead and Inter can still dream.
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