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Juventus got the better of Napoli in a feisty encounter at the San Paolo. The victory saw the Turin based outfit stretch their lead at the perch to 16 points.
The game started off frantically with the home side enjoying the better of the early exchanges. The away side couldn’t contend with the hosts’ movement off the ball and their high pressing.
However, the match turned pear-shaped for Napoli in the 25th minute when their keeper Alex Meret was issued a straight red card for preventing Cristiano Ronaldo a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
The visitors took the lead from the resulting free kick with Miralem Pjanic deliciously curling the ball over the wall and beyond the reach of substitute keeper, David Ospina.
In the 39th minute, the Old Lady doubled their lead as an unmarked Emre Can headed home from a Federico Bernardeschi cross.
With an extra man on the pitch, Juventus was expected to come through unscathed in the second period. However, a red card for Pjanic two minutes after the restart shifted the momentum.
Napoli turned the screw and were rewarded just after the hour mark when Jose Callejon smashed the ball into the roof of the net. Yet, the hosts were unable to breach the visitors’ rear-guard thereafter and were left ruing their missed chances.
Here is a look at the three factors that helped Juventus turn the tide in their favour:
#3 Juventus capitalise on their numerical superiority in the first half
The game at the San Paolo on Sunday pitted the Serie A’s top two teams against each other. However, many expected Juventus to exert their dominance over their second-placed rivals.
The match took a turn for the better for them just after a quarter of the game as Napoli were reduced to ten men. Prior to the sending off, Napoli had controlled proceedings and looked capable of unlocking Juventus’ defense. Yet, with numerical superiority, the latter made the former pay with two quick goals.
The first was scored from the free-kick which succeeded the red card whereas the second was scored a few minutes later. The goals pinned Napoli back and even though the home side tried to attack Juventus at all times, they were forced to retreat on occasions due to their numerical inferiority.
In hindsight, the importance of the two times they made the net bulge couldn’t be overstated enough as Juventus themselves had a man sent off in the second period.
The game at the San Paolo was a see-saw affair with Napoli unwilling to go away without a fight. Luckily for the Old Lady, they ensured the job was done before the push came to shove.
#2 Napoli switch off at crucial moments
Napoli’s game against the Italian champions was characterized by moments of madness, lapses in concentration and dogged determination. Unfortunately for the host side, the first couple of aspects outweighed the last facet as they crashed to a defeat.
Napoli began the game well and had Juventus on their toes. However, an astray back pass by Malcuit caused the hosts’ first blip. In order to redeem his teammate, Meret came flying out of his blocks only to impede Ronaldo, which got himself a red card.
The second goal too was a classic example of the hosts going to sleep defensively. After a smart short corner routine, Bernardeschi created a different angle on his cross. The left-footed in-swinging delivery caught the Gli Azzurri’s defense off-guard as they failed to pay proper attention to Emre Can. The German made the net ripple with his header.
In the second half, Napoli was guilty of sloppiness in the offensive third. Though they displayed admirable courage in taking the game to Juventus, they lacked composure to play the decisive pass. Matters were made worse in the 84th minute when Lorenzo Insigne struck the frame of the goal from the penalty spot.
Over the years, Napoli has been a real handful in the Italian Serie A and has always been on Juventus’ tail. Yet, they’ve never really gone on to portray themselves as potential title winners.
#1 Juventus weather the Napoli storm
Juventus looked comfortable in the first half and went into the break with a two-goal cushion. However, the complexion of the game changed after Pjanic was given his marching orders for deliberately handling the ball.
With the teams playing with ten men each, Napoli had the wind in their sails. The home side swarmed all over the visitors and relentlessly attacked the Old Lady They even pulled a goal back in the 61st minute but it eventually acted as a consolation.
During their assault, Juventus looked rattled and barely kept the ball with any conviction. Whenever they received the ball, they contrived to give it away and invite another wave of attack. Additionally, they survived a rather dubious penalty decision courtesy the VAR.
Most teams would’ve wilted under such strife at the San Paolo. Yet, Juventus made sure that they came through the period relatively unharmed.
And on a night when the Old Lady nearly shot themselves in the foot with the red card, they finally got over the line, albeit fine margins.
