Napoli eked out a hard-earned 1-0 home victory over a spirited Torino side to maintain their 100% Serie A record this season. The crucial moment of the match took place in the 81st minute as Victor Osimhen headed home a late winner for Luciano Spalletti’s side.
Napoli had a glorious opportunity to get off the mark in the first half, but Torino goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic denied Lorenzo Insigne’s wayward spot-kick in the 27th minute. The Partenopei nearly rued missed chances on the stroke of half-time as the visitors wasted two promising counter-attacks to secure a half-time lead.
Spalletti’s team continued to dominate possession in the second half but saw the goalscoring chances hard to come by. However, Napoli found the net through an unlikely source, with first-choice right-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo smashing his powerful header past Milinkovic-Savic. But the home side’s celebrations were short-lived as the VAR disallowed the goal for a clear offside.
And just when it seemed like Torino could walk away from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona unbeaten, Osimhen came huge to salvage all three points for Napoli. The Nigerian striker netted his fifth goal in seven Serie A appearances this season en route to extending his side’s winning league start to eight matches.
In the post-match interview, Osimhen hailed the atmosphere at one of the most famous stadiums in Italy.
“It’s amazing, the atmosphere was really crazy. I think we deserved the win, it’s very special to our fans, as they never stopped cheering us from the first whistle to the last,” he told DAZN, as relayed by TUTTOmercatoWEB.
“I knew the ball was going to come, so I had to anticipate. It’s an opportunity to get the goal, I am really happy with the win and we won’t stop.
“This shows how this is a difficult league and we have to continue this momentum.“
Napoli reclaimed their place at the summit, recovering their two-point lead over second-placed AC Milan. Their title credentials will face a stern test next weekend when they head to the Stadio Olimpico to take on Jose Mourinho’s Roma side.