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Italy: Napoli remain top of Serie A

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Empoli 0 - 1 Napoli Napoli held on to their spot at the top of Serie A with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Empoli at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.  Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football The match was settled by a late penalty from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, as the visitors found it tough to break down a resilient Empoli side. Empoli, unbeaten going into this fixture, started brightly and created several early chances. Sebastiano Esposito tested former Empoli goalkeeper Elia Caprile with a fierce volley, while Giuseppe Pezzella also forced a save from the Napoli shot-stopper. Napoli, without key players Stanislav Lobotka and Alex Meret, handed Billy Gilmour his first Serie A start alongside Scott McTominay. The visitors had chances of their own, with Alessandro Buongiorno’s header cleared off the line and Esposito’s low shot smartly saved by Caprile. The decisive moment came late on, when substitute Giovanni Simeone made an impact, winning a penalty after Tino Anjorin fouled Matteo Pol

Italy: Scott McTominay scores first Napoli goal

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Napoli 5 - 0 Palermo Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay netted his first goal for Napoli as his new team cruised to a 5-0 victory over Palermo in the second round of the Coppa Italia. The 27-year-old joined Napoli for £25.7m from Manchester United in late August, having spent his entire career with the Red Devils, where he started at a football school aged just five. McTominay made his Napoli debut in a 4-0 win at Cagliari, coming off the bench, and earned his first start in a goalless draw against Juventus on Saturday. On Thursday, he was named among the substitutes for the match against second-tier Palermo, but made an immediate impact after coming on by scoring Napoli’s fifth goal. He struck a first-time shot from 12 yards out following a pullback from Romelu Lukaku. A closer look at what happened Cyril Ngonge had already put Napoli in control with two goals in the first 12 minutes, while Juan Jesus added a third just before the break. Palermo’s hopes were further dashed when A

Serie A: How Napoli soared to the top once again

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The Napoli fans have always been a passionate group of people.  This season, that passion has only increased. Occasionally, this passion is rewarded with a successful football team. Their dreams of watching a vibrant team with flair and skill have become a reality once again. They overcome their rich northern rivals to reach the summit of Italian football once again. From March onwards, their city has become a scene of constant celebration. The Champions League defeat against AC Milan was annoying but they quickly got over that. The story is one that is discussed by fans across Europe  Lilly is a Manchester United fan but she moved to Naples in 2014 and has become obsessed with the local fan culture. She said: Almost every neighbourhood is adorned with sky blue and white streamers, flags bearing the faces of Napoli players. This current team means more to them. They feel it represents them in a way that has only been replicated once." Shaun is from Inverness in Scotland. H

Serie A: Napoli extend lead at the top

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 Empoli 0 - 2 Napoli Napoli's impressive form carries on A goal by striker Victor Osimhen and an own goal by Empoli defender Ardian Ismajli earned Napoli a 2-0 away win in Serie A on Saturday. This extended their lead over second-placed Inter Milan to an incredible 18 points. The league leaders dominated the clash from kick-off and pushed mid-table Empoli enough to pressure Ismajli into opening the scoring with an own goal in the 17th minute. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sent a lofted pass from the edge of the box to midfielder Piotr Zielinski who saw Osimhen in front of goal but before his cross could reach the striker, Ismajli put the ball in. It was then 2-0 around eleven minutes ater. Osimhen tapped in a rebound from close range after Empoli keeper Guglielmo Vicario had parried a strike by Kvaratskhelia right into the Nigerian's path. 𝓩𝓲𝓮𝓵𝓸 🤹‍♂️ #EmpoliNapoli 0-1 pic.twitter.com/0z02RONHe8 — Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) February 25, 2023 Fan reaction  We managed t

Transfer Rumours: Clubs interested in Victor Osimhen

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We're already starting to look towards the summer Transfer Window Napoli are on a great run at the moment and one of their players has been linked with a move to the Premier League. Victor Osimhen is on a record-obliterating run in Serie A. He's hoping his hard work will help Napoli claim only their third-ever Serie A title. A league title in 2023 would be their first since the legendary Diego Maradona led them to the top in 1990. The Nigeria striker is a key reason they're almost within touching distance. In a recent match, Osimhen scored his 100th career goal. That helped the club to a 2-0 victory over Sassuolo and extended their league lead to 18 points. It also took his tally to 18 goals for the season, extending his lead at the top of the league scoring chart to five goals and keeping him on course to claim the Golden Boot award at the end of the season. Among current stars, only Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe have reached the triple-figure goals mark in fewer ga

Italy: Napoli thrash Juventus

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 Napoli 5 - 1 Juventus Goals from Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Amir Rrahmani, Victor Osimhen and Eljif Elmas earned a memorable 5-1 victory for Napoli. The visitors from Turin were roundly jeered by home supporters in Naples when they appeared. Juventus had won eight straight games without conceding a goal and were also able to hand Federico Chiesa his first start since tearing his cruciate ligament over a year ago. More news from Itaaly>>> However, Napoli took the lead in the 14th minute. Wojciech Szczesny brilliantly parried an acrobatic shot from Kvaratskhelia but Osimhen headed in the rebound, the first goal Juventus had conceded in 770 minutes. Napoli never looked like losing the game, even when Angel Di Maria pulled a goal a few minutes before half-time For all their problems, Juventus had only conceded seven in the top flight this season beforehand and sit third, level on points with second-placed AC Milan. However, this was a breathless Napoli display, one

UEL: Barca looking to build after win against Napoli

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Napoli 2 - 4 Barcelona (3-5 on aggregate) Barcelona looked impressive performance as they beat Napoli to reach the Europa League last 16. They will face Galatasaray in the next round and minds have already started to turn to the challenges ahead They quickly led by two goals when Jordi Alba finished off a counter-attack from Adama Traore's ball. Frenkie de Jong then curled in a stunning shot. Lorenzo Insigne had then given Napoli hope with a penalty to make it 3-2 on aggregate. This was before goals from Gerard Pique and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang essentially sealed the tie. Does glory await Barcelona after a difficult season? Barcelona must now be considered one of the favourites to win the competition. Results have picked up since ex-player Xavi replaced Ronald Koeman. Their front three all sparkled against Napoli. The Italians could not deal with their pressing from the front in the first half as Barca took control of the tie. Traore, on loan from Wolves, has now assisted four

UEL: Barcelona rescue a draw

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Barcelona 1 - 1 Napoli Former Manchester City player Ferran Torres scored a penalty as Barcelona rescued a draw in their Europa League last-32 first-leg tie against Napoli. Barca were making their first appearance in this competition in almost 18 years and they fell behind in the first half when Piotr Zielinski drove in. UCL: Barcelona knocked out But they awarded a penalty in the second half by VAR after Adama Traore's cross hit Juan Jesus' hand. Torres stepped up to take the penalty and sent goalkeeper Alex Meret the wrong way. This will have been of significant relief for the striker after he had missed a big chance when the game was goalless, firing over when well placed inside the box. Bon dia, Culers! ☀️ We keep working! 👊 pic.twitter.com/c9h2nm5tKI — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 18, 2022 Torres had a good opportunity to win the game for Barcelona late on, but sent his shot over the bar. Ex-Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a quiet game as he mad