Lukaku-McTominay show for Napoli's victorious glow

It wasn’t like that in the first half, but Napoli still managed to take the lead in the first half. In the second half, we saw a display of power and a reminder of Napoli's championship days, directed by Lukaku and McTominay.

In a match where Napoli was certainly considered the favorite, we didn’t see an Empoli side waving the white flag and setting up just to defend—in fact, it was quite the opposite. True, the home side went into the break with a lead, but without any overwhelming dominance.

The first real chance came in the 15th minute when Romelu Lukaku found himself at the edge of the six-yard box. However, he didn’t expect the ball to come to him so suddenly, and his shot was poor, with Empoli’s defense reacting quickly.

Just three minutes later, Lukaku made up for it, playing a key role in the opening goal. Holding off a defender with his back to goal, he laid the ball off to Scott McTominay, who carried it to about 20 meters from goal and fired a shot past the visiting goalkeeper. There is the GOAL!

Empoli responded immediately, and in the next attack, Gyasi headed the ball over the bar following a cross from Pezzella. Napoli had a chance to double the lead when Politano got a shot off, but Vasquez made a solid save. The Empoli keeper stood out again just minutes later, stopping a close-range effort from Neres.

Empoli’s best chance of the half came from Esposito, who unleashed a powerful volley from about 25 meters out—but Meret was up to the task and kept his net untouched.

Despite holding the lead at halftime, Napoli continued to push forward in the second half, determined to put the game to bed well before the final whistle. The first opportunity of the half came through Olivera, who, after receiving a pass from Neres, fired a shot just wide of the goal.

The home fans didn’t have to wait long to celebrate again—just ten minutes into the second half, in the 56th minute, Romelu Lukaku found the net after a precise assist from Olivera. The Belgian found himself unmarked at the penalty spot and had no trouble slotting the ball past the Empoli goalkeeper. There is the GOAL!

Empoli tried to respond three minutes later with a chance of their own, as Henderson took a shot from distance, but it narrowly missed the target.

In the 61st minute, Lukaku added to his tally of assists, sending in a cross that McTominay met perfectly to score his second GOAL of the game. The former Manchester United midfielder nearly completed a hat-trick—again set up by Lukaku—but this time his shot struck the woodwork.

Napoli’s dominance was evident, and the Lukaku-McTominay connection was the highlight of the evening.

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 32

Friday

Udinese - Milan 0-4 (0-2)

/Leao 42, Pavlovic 45, Hernandez 74, Reijnders 81/

Saturday

Venezia - Monza 1-0 (0-0)

/Fila 72/

Inter - Cagliari 3-1 (2-0)

/Arnautovic 13, Martinez 26, Bisseck 55 - Piccoli 48/

Juventus - Lecce 2-1 (2-0)

/Koopmeiners 2, Yildiz 33 - Baschirotto 87/

Sunday

Atalanta - Bologna 2-0 (2-0)

/Retegui 3, Pašalić 21/

Fiorentina - Parma 0-0

Verona - Genoa 0-0

Como - Torino 1-0 (1-0)

/Douvikas 38/

Lazio - Roma 1-1 (0-0)

/Romagnoli 47 - Soule 69/

Monday

Napoli - Empoli 3-0 (1-0)

/McTominay 18, 61, Lukaku 56/