As the Serie A title race reaches its climax, the King's men, Napoli, narrowly beat Juventus 1-0 in the early hours of Monday morning (24th) in an away match. With a 17-point lead over Lazio, Napoli will be declared champions at the earliest this weekend (30th) with only 7 rounds left in the league, the first time since the Manatana era that they have tasted the sweetness of the Serie A title.
After their exit in the last eight of the Champions League, Napoli quickly adjusted their form and challenged Juventus on the road in the league. They were in control of the game, but striker Vitor Ossenhan missed a number of good chances. In the last three minutes of extra time, Rasperdoni's shot off a pass from Elif Emas made it 1-0, and as long as Napoli beat Salamanca at home on Saturday (29th), and Lazio fail to score against Inter Milan on the following day, they will lock up the Serie A title ahead of schedule.
Napoli coach Spaletti, a coach who has never won a Serie A title, lamented after the match, "When you realize that you are about to win the Serie A title, you realize that all the sacrifices were worth it." However, Spaletti also emphasized, "It's not time to celebrate yet because the task is not yet complete. After the exit from the Champions League, this victory is the biggest compliment to the players and I want to congratulate them!"
