Napoli won Serie A after 33 years

Italy Draw 1-1 at Udinese in the late match of round 33, Napoli won the championship five rounds early and ended their 33-year thirst for the Serie A championship.

The draw at Friuli Stadium on May 4th helped Napoli to 80 points, 16 points more than second-placed Lazio after 33 rounds. Thanks to that, coach Luciano Spalletti's team won the championship early without having to worry about the results of the remaining five rounds.

This is only the third time Napoli have won Serie A, but the first time in 33 years since the generation of Diego Maradona, Careca, Ciro Ferrera, Gianfranco Zola won the title in 1990.

The match against Salernitana in the round of 32 on April 30 was postponed for 24 hours so that Napoli could prepare for the title celebration at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Napoli fans poured into the streets and filled the Maradona Stadium to wait for the crowning moment. However, Napoli missed the chance to win Serie A six rounds early when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Salernitana.

Napoli fans celebrate the championship at Friuli Stadium on the evening of May 4. Photo: AFP — Napoli fans celebrate the championship at Diego Maradona Stadium on the evening of May 4. Photo: *AFP*

At the Dacia Arena yesterday, Napoli's title celebration was in danger of being delayed again, when Sandi Lovric finished into the top corner to put Udinese ahead in the 13th minute.

Napoli then came out strong to create a one-sided game. The historic moment came in the 52nd minute, when Osimhen kicked the ball into the roof of the home net with his right foot. Thanks to that, Osimhen broke Samuel Eto'o's record (21 goals) to become the African player who scored the most goals in a season of the Italian National Championship with 22 goals.

More importantly, Osimhen's goal helped Napoli win Serie A for the third time, after 1987 and 1990 - when the legendary Maradona was still playing for the club. Napoli currently has 80 points, 16 points more than Lazio, while the season has only five rounds left.

After 33 years and 12,058 days, the Serie A championship returns to the largest city in southern Italy. This is the longest gap between two crowns in Serie A history, only behind AS Roma with 41 years when winning the championship in 1942 and 1983.

According to Football Italy, Napoli were accompanied by at least 14,000 fans at the Dacia Arena, while another 50,000 packed the Maradona Stadium to watch the match on a big screen. After referee Rosario Abisso blew the final whistle, hundreds of fans flooded the pitch to celebrate with Luciano Spalletti and his team. At 64 years and 58 days old, Spalletti became the oldest coach to win the Scudetto.

After the match, the Italian coach burst into tears and dedicated this achievement to his brother - who passed away 4 years ago - as well as the fans and all members of Napoli. "Seeing the Partenopei smiling and happy is the greatest emotion for me. They deserve this happiness," Spalleti said emotionally.

With 22 goals and four assists, Osimhen contributed greatly to Napoli's success. "We were not highly rated and had a lot of confidence before the tournament," he said. "But like I said, Napoli is a strong and close-knit group, with a great coach, backroom staff, physiotherapists, doctors who always make sure the players are in the best physical condition. From the beginning of the season, we believed that this great squad could bring home the Scudetto. Now, we have fulfilled our dream and will enjoy this moment."

Main events of the match Udinese 1-1 Napoli.

As captain, Giovanni Di Lorenzo will be the next man after Maradona to lift the Serie A title for Napoli. "To be compared to him, to be the captain after Maradona to lift the Scudetto, I don't know what to say. This Scudetto is not my Scudetto, it belongs to the whole team and the people who have worked tirelessly to make this dream come true," the Italian defender said.

On May 7, Spalleti's team will host Fiorentina and lift the Serie A title at Maradona's home stadium.

Line-up

Udinese : Silvestri; Becao, Bijol, Perez, Ehizibue (82' Ebosele), Samardzic (82' Thauvin), Walace, Lovric (78' Arslan), Udogie (74' Zeegelaar), Pereyra, Nestorovski. All. Subt.

Naples : Meret; DiLorenzo, Rrahmani, Kim, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, Ndombele (64' Zielinski), Elmas, Kvaratskelia (86' Lozano), Osimhen. Herds Spalletti

Hong Duy

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