Napoli are on the verge of being crowned Serie A champions after Lazio lost to Inter Milan on Sunday afternoon.
2022/2023 Serie A
3-1
Match Report
Lazio, second in the league, needed to beat Milan to keep their unlikely hopes of winning the title alive, but fell to defeat despite taking the lead early on through Felipe Anderson.
Lautaro Martinez (two) and Robin Gosens netted in the final 15 minutes to help Inter's own bid for Champions League football, but left Napoli on the verge of their first league title in 33 years.
Romelu Lukaku provided two assists for the Champions League semi-finalists, who put on a show towards the end of the game.
Luciano Spalletti's side will be crowned champions with a win against Salernitana later on today.
Fans in Naples were already celebrating hours before kick-off against Salernitana. The Partenopei supporters kicked their celebrations into another gear with each goal from Inter, celebrating loudly upon the full-time whistle in Milan.
No team has ever clinched the Serie A title with six rounds of games to spare.
Torino (in 1947-48), Fiorentina (1955-56), Inter Milan (2006-07) and Juventus (2018-19) each won with five rounds to spare to share the record.
Diego Maradona led Napoli to its only two Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990.
Inter defender Francesco Acerbi lost possession to set up an early Lazio goal from Anderson, with Ciro Immobile also helping out before the Brazilian fooled the defence to set up some space and fire in from the edge of the area.
After numerous chances for Inter, the Nerazzurri finally equalised in the 78th when Lukaku threaded a through ball for Martinez, who scored from the centre of the area as he was sliding to the ground.
Lukaku then provided a cross-field pass that Gosens redirected in with an acrobatic volley near the far post, injuring himself in the process.
Martinez scored his second in the 90th after a defensive error.
It was only the second win in seven Serie A matches for Inter, which has reached the Champions League semifinals and Italian Cup final.
Inter moved up to fourth, level on points with fifth-place AC Milan and sixth-place Roma.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
5' Brozovic's long shot stopped by goalkeeper
20' Yellow Card! Zaccagni booked
21' Mkhitaryan's long shot too straight
25' OFFSIDE! Mkhitaryan’s goal disallowed
30' GOAL! Inter 0-1 Lazio (Anderson)
37' CLOSE! Mkhitaryan's shot over the bar
40' Barella's long shot inches wide
46' Onana makes brilliant double-save
55' Barella's shot inches wide
62' Yellow Card! Bastoni booked
77' GOAL! Inter 1-1 Lazio (Lautaro)
83' GOAL! Inter 2-1 Lazio (Gosens)
90' GOAL! Inter 3-1 Lazio (Lautaro)
Line-ups
Inter XI: Darmian, Mkhitaryan, Lukaku, D'Ambrosio, Acerbi, Brozovic, Correa, Dimarco, Barella, Onana, Bastoni
Subs: Handanovic, Alex Cordaz, Dzeko, De Vrij, Calhanoglu, Gagliardini, Gosens, Dumfries, Lautaro, Bellanova, Kristjan Asllani
Lazio XI: Immobile, Alberto, Hysaj, Anderson, Romagnoli, Marusic, Zaccagni, Ivan Provedel, Cataldi, Milinkovic-Savic, Nicolò Casale
Subs: Radu, Pedro, Vecino, Patric, Lazzari, Marius Adamonis, Toma Basic, L.Pellegrini, Luís Maximiano, Marcos Antônio, Mario Gila, Matteo Cancellieri, Luka Romero, Marco Bertini