From a game that seemed lost for Napoli, Rudi Garcia’s men almost pulled off what would’ve been one of the most memorable comebacks in Serie A history. However, the reigning champions had to settle for a dramatic 2-2 draw against Milan after trailing 2-0 at halftime.
Napoli looked on the verge of losing a fourth consecutive home league match against Milan when Olivier Giroud secured a two-goal cushion for the visitors in the 31st minute. Rossoneri could’ve led more at the break, but their inability to capitalize on their momentum threw Garcia’s side a lifeline. And they were more than happy to grab it.
Whatever Garcia did or said during the halftime interval made wonders for Napoli. Following a disastrous first half, Partenopei looked more like their old selves in the second half, restoring parity by the 63-minute mark through Matteo Politano and Giacomo Raspadori.
Even without Victor Osimhen, they hauled back a significant deficit against one of the best teams in Italy. They could’ve done more. Despite Natan’s red card just before stoppages reduced Napoli to ten men, Garcia’s lads almost snatched a late win.
Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan pulled off a vital leg save to thwart Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and rescue a point for the visiting side. Speaking to the press after the game, Garcia admitted it was ‘a fair result.’
“It’s always better to finish 2-2 after being 2-0 down than on the contrary, it’s normal,” the Napoli boss told DAZN, as quoted by Tuttomercatoweb. “But it seems like a fair draw to me: Milan were better first half, we in the second half.
“We believed in it, we believed in our qualities and we reopened the game. At 2-1, anything was possible. Then you also need luck. In ten against eleven, we had the winning ball with Kvara, but the ball didn’t want to go in,” the Napoli gaffer pointed out.
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