Old Lady still has a say - win over Napoli and a favor for Inter

In the match that attracted the most attention ahead of this round of the Italian championship, Juventus secured a big win over Napoli in Turin — a result that could have major implications in the race for the Scudetto. While Antonio Conte’s side was weakened, that does not diminish Juventus’ excellent performance, as their three goals paved the way for Inter to pull slightly ahead of the Neapolitan team.

Juventus made the brighter start in a lively opening phase against Napoli, pressing aggressively and looking to exploit mistakes as the visitors tried to play out from the back.

The first warning arrived in the 14th minute, when Francisco Conceicao attempted what appeared to be a cross toward the far post, only for the ball to loop awkwardly and drift just wide from a difficult angle.

Napoli then gifted Juve a golden chance five minutes later, losing possession deep in their own half. Kenan Yildiz picked out Khephren Thuram on the edge of the area, and the midfielder’s right-footed curler beat Alex Meret but crashed off the top of the far post.

Napoli responded in the 20th minute after another turnover, this time from Juventus, as Kelly lost the ball and Vergara fired a low, powerful effort on target, though Michele Di Gregorio was well positioned to smother the shot.

The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute. Yildiz surged down the left and rolled the ball across goal, with Jonathan David and Conceicao initially failing to apply the finishing touch. The move stayed alive, however, and Manuel Locatelli lofted a clever ball over the top. David muscled off Spinazzola, brought it down on his chest, stayed on his feet and calmly prodded the ball into the net to give Juventus the lead.

The hosts came close to doubling their advantage three minutes later. A perfectly weighted through ball from Yildiz sent Conceicao clean through, completely unmarked. The winger beat Meret from eight yards, but Alessandro Buongiorno made a heroic goal-line clearance, recovering just in time after Conceicao’s slightly heavy first touch allowed him back.

Juventus continued to apply pressure, with Locatelli testing Meret in the 35th minute with a low, driven snapshot from the edge of the area, though it was straight at the Napoli goalkeeper, who dealt with it comfortably.

Tempers flared five minutes before the break when Gutierrez delivered a cross from the right and Bremer appeared to have both arms around Rasmus Hojlund, preventing him from reaching the ball, before Vergara also clashed with Pierre Kalulu. VAR reviewed the incident but ruled that there was no clear foul, prompting a bitter and sarcastic reaction from Napoli coach Antonio Conte on the touchline.

Early in the second half, Juventus nearly struck again in the 46th minute after Locatelli intercepted a loose pass and Jonathan David snapped a quick shot on target, though Meret once more took the pace out of it. Napoli then had their best chance of the half so far in the 55th minute. Spinazzola’s effort was blocked by Bremer and the ball fell kindly to Hojlund, but under pressure he lashed his finish wide of the near post.

Napoli tried to push forward in search of an equaliser, but Juventus remained compact and alert at the back. In the 65th minute, a cross was delivered from the right toward Rasmus Hojlund attacking the near post, yet Michele Di Gregorio read the danger well, stepping off his line to claim the ball before the striker could get a touch.

Juventus sealed the win in the 77th minute with a gift from Napoli. Juan Jesus made a disastrous mistake, effectively passing the ball straight to Fabio Miretti. The midfielder reacted quickly, slipping a perfectly weighted pass through to Kenan Yildiz, who kept his composure and made no mistake, calmly beating the Napoli goalkeeper to make it 2–0.

In the 86th minute, Juventus put the finishing touch on their derby victory as Filip Kostic unleashed a brilliant strike from around 20 meters, hammering the ball into the net and giving the Old Lady a commanding lead.

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 22

Friday

Inter - Pisa 6-2 (3-2)

/Zielnski 39 pen, Martinez 41, Esposito 45+2, Dimarco 82, Bonny 86, Mkhitaryan 90+3 - Moreo 11, 23/

Saturday

Como - Torino 6-0 (2-0)

/Douvikas 8, 66, Baturina 16, Da Cunha 59 pen, Kuhn 70, Caqueret 76/

Fiorentina - Cagliari 1-2 (0-1)

/Brescianini 74 - Kilicsoy 31, Palestra 47/

Lecce - Lazio 0-0

Sunday

Sassuolo - Cremonese 1-0 (1-0)

/Fadera 3/

Atalanta - Parma 4-0 (2-0)

/Scamacca 15 pen, De Roon 24, Raspadori 73, Krstovic 90+2/

Genoa - Bologna 3-2 (0-1)

/Malinovskyi 62, Ekuban 78, Messias 90+1 - Ferguson 35, Otoa 47 og/

Juventus - Napoli 3-0 (1-0)

/David 22, Yildiz 77, Kostic 86/

22.45: (2.65) Roma (3.10) Milan (3.00)

Monday

20.45: (2.80) Verona (2.95) Udinese (2.80)

***odds are subject to change***