All the pre-game talk was about Victor Osimhen and apparent issues between the Nigerian striker and his employers, but he and his teammates looked to have put any feud aside as Napoli got off to a positive start. Piotr Zieliński had a great opportunity to open the scoring, although the Polish midfielder skied his effort.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, last season’s Serie A MVP, has got off to a sluggish start this season, but he looked up for it on this occasion.
First, he fashioned a chance that flew inches wide of the post before later drawing a foul in the box which, following a VAR review, resulted in a penalty. From the spot, Zieliński made no mistake to give his side the lead inside 20 minutes.
Kvaratskhelia tormented the Udinese defence throughout the first half, creating chances for his teammates and for himself, but Marco Silvestri stood strong between the visitors’ sticks, preventing Napoli from adding to their advantage.
However, the Italian goalkeeper’s resolve was finally broken in the 39th minute when Matteo Politano unlocked the Bianconeri defence. His deft pass found the unmarked Osimhen, who slotted the ball beyond Silvestri to send Rudi Garcia’s side into the break two to the good.
Napoli picked up where they left off after the interval and continued to probe the Udinese backlie, and Osimhen came close to adding a third, fizzing his shot narrowly wide after a stunning pass from Stanislav Lobotka.
Having not scored in his last 18 games for the Partenopei, Kvaratskhelia was clearly trying to end that drought, but the Georgian was twice denied by the woodwork, hitting both posts as he struggled to contain his frustration.
That anger, though, soon turned into joy as the 22-year-old finally got his goal in the 74th minute. Pressing high up the pitch, he dispossessed Jaka Bijol, ran into the box and superbly dinked the ball over the onrushing Silvestri before firing into an empty net.
Udinese pulled a goal back in the 81st minute through Lazar Samardzic, but any hope of a comeback was swiftly ended as Giovanni Simeone headed in from Kvaratskhelia’s cross.
The remaining minutes were a formality for Garcia’s men as they secured just their third win in six Serie A games this campaign, whilst Udinese are still searching for their first triumph of the season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)
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Inter undone by Bajrami and Berardi
A dazzling second-half Sassuolo performance put an abrupt end to Internazionale’s perfect start to the Serie A season, as the brilliant Domenico Berardi fired his side to a 2-1 victory at the Giuseppe Meazza for a third win in four matches.
Inter nerves were jangling at the prospect of facing a Sassuolo side who successfully dispatched Juventus at the weekend, and it showed in their early play.
There were still a couple of long-range attempts for the home side, but they were kept on their toes by a lively Armand Laurienté on the counter attack. Denzel Dumfries was the most positive outlet for Inter, and his efforts were almost rewarded when his cross found the head of Marcus Thuram, but the effort brushed the top of the crossbar.
Success in this fixture has been elusive for Sassuolo of late, but Alessio Dionisi urged his side to find the form that earned the Neroverdi eight wins in ten games between 2015 and 2019.
The visitors’ best chance of the opening period fell to an unlikely candidate in Jeremy Toljan, who ran onto Berardi’s backheel to sting the outstretched gloves of Yann Sommer.
However, for all of Sassuolo’s positive play, Dumfries was handsomely rewarded for his first-half efforts in stoppage time, as he feigned to cross before cutting inside to arrow into the far corner, and the Curva Nord erupted.
The cruel timing of that opener was met with a perfect response from Sassuolo after HT. Berardi was, as always, at the centre of everything his side did going forward, and he was the architect of a stunning comeback. First, the club’s all-time record assist-maker slotted brilliantly through to Nedim Bajrami, who smashed at Sommer’s near post, catching the Swiss stopper off guard and finding the net.
As known by Sassuolo fans for a long time, Berardi is no stranger to a goal of his own, and he turned the game on his head just under 10 minutes later, with an incredible long-range left-footed strike, which dipped into the far post.
The home crowd were understandably silenced, and Andrea Consigli denied them an almost immediate equaliser as he kept out former Sassuolo midfielder Davide Frattesi.
Opportunities dried up for Simone Inzaghi’s team, and the away side’s credentials as giant killers were verified as they made it to the final whistle with the lead intact, adding to Saturday’s heroic win over Juventus. Meanwhile, it was a disappointing end to Inter’s perfect winning record to start the Serie A season, and arch-rivals AC Milan are now hot on their heels after a win at Cagliari earlier on Wednesday evening.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo)
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In the other Serie A game of the evening, Lazio claimed their first home win of the season in all competitions with a much-needed 2-0 victory over Torino at the Stadio Olimpico, providing a dose of optimism after a sluggish start to the campaign.
