The last time Napoli welcomed Juventus to Naples, they romped to a 5-1 victory as they continued their procession towards a first Scudetto in 33 years.
This season has been far more challenging for the Partenopei, yet with a defence of their title out of the question, Champions League qualification remains a possibility, even if they trailed fourth-placed Bologna by 11 points prior to kick-off.
Juventus, meanwhile, came into this clash sitting second in the table as they look to secure their own place at Europe’s top table, and they started the better of the two sides.
The game’s first clear chance fell to Dusan Vlahovic in the 10th minute, as the Serbia international placed an unmarked header wide of the post following Chiesa’s cross. Samuel Iling Junior then saw an effort saved by Alex Meret, before Giovanni Di Lorenzo sliced a volley over the bar after being found in space just inside the area at the other end.
Subsequently, the Old Lady had two fantastic opportunities to break the deadlock; first, Iling-Junior fired over from a promising position, then Vlahovic chipped Meret and hit the post after being played in by Chiesa.
Despite dominating possession, Napoli had initially struggled to create openings, but slowly grew into the game and went close through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Mathias Oliveira before the former gave his side the advantage. It was a fantastic goal, too, as the Georgian powered a volley in at the near post despite Wojciech Szczesny’s best efforts.
Although they fell behind, Juve should have been on level terms at the break, but Vlahovic could only put his effort wide after dispossessing Hamed Traore inside Napoli’s defensive third.
In the opening minutes of the second period, Massimiliano Allegri’s team had more chances. Again, though, a clinical touch evaded them, as Fabio Miretti and the ever-involved Vlahovic were unable to beat Meret. However, Juve could not keep their energy up as the Napoli backline enjoyed a breather.
The Partenopei were hardly threatening themselves, but with a one-goal advantage, they didn’t necessarily need to be. That was until their opponents restored parity through Chiesa, who scored the goal his industrious performance deserved, in the final 10 minutes.
Napoli, though, were not to be denied and earned a penalty shortly after when Joseph Nonge felled Victor Osimhen in the area. The Nigerian stepped up to take the spot-kick himself, and although his effort was saved by Meret, Raspadori reacted quickest to smash into the roof of the net.
The victory sees them move up seventh, while Juventus’ title bid, which was already under extreme pressure, is now in tatters – they trail Inter Milan by 12 points having played a game more.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Federico Chiesa (Juventus)
