SSC Napoli and Juventus delivered club-record winning streaks to maintain their Serie A title challenges on Wednesday, while Hellas Verona finally recorded their first victory of the season.
Gonzalo Higuain netted his 23rd goal in as many league games to help Napoli win 2-0 at SS Lazio and match a club record of seven successive league victories, set in 1987-1988.
Napoli’s win was marred by racist chants directed at visiting defender Kalidou Koulibaly from some of the Lazio fans, as well as other discriminatory chants, which led to the suspension of the game for four minutes in the second half.
Photo: AFP
“We should congratulate [referee Massimiliano] Irrati because the situation was becoming embarrassing. We were all upset for Koulibaly,” Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri said.
“I saw him after the game and he seemed calm to me. He is a profound lad. He will be upset, but will remain calm with the help of his teammates,” he added.
Lazio risk having to play two matches behind closed doors.
Juventus extended their streak to 13 successive victories by beating Genoa 1-0 to remain two points behind Napoli.
ACF Fiorentina are six points further back after Mauro Zarate’s stoppage-time goal snatched a 2-1 victory over Carpi.
Fourth-placed Inter got back to winning ways by beating AC Chievo Verona 1-0, while AC Milan continued where they left off in Sunday’s derby win with a 2-0 victory at US Citta di Palermo, with Carlos Bacca and M’Baye Niang on target again.
At the other end of the table, Verona beat 10-man Atalanta 2-1 to end its worst streak; it was their first win in 23 matches.
Verona are 10 points from safety after 17th-placed UC Sampdoria drew 2-2 against Torino.
Second-from-bottom Frosinone also won, beating 10-man Bologna 1-0.
Empoli rescued a 1-1 draw against Udinese.
Higuain opened the scoring midway through the first half.
He gathered Jorginho’s ball over the top, played a swift one-two with Jose Callejon and fired past Lazio goalkeeper Federico Marchetti at the second time of asking.
Callejon scored himself three minutes later after beating the offside trap to run onto Lorenzo Insigne’s marvelous ball over the top and chip Marchetti.
In Turin, the only goal of the game came after 30 minutes when Juan Cuadrado dribbled into the the area and his cross was deflected in by Sebastien de Maio.
There was bad news for Juventus, as defender Patrice Evra went off injured in the first half and Martin Caceres was carried off in tears in the second.
Juventus forward Simone Zaza was shown a straight red card in stoppage-time for a dangerous tackle on Armando Izzo.
Inter started the year top, but slipped down the table following two draws and two defeats.
Chievo were dominated by Inter, who could not find the breakthrough, wasting chances, as well as being denied by an excellent Andrea Seculin, who was making his top-flight debut.
However, Mauro Icardi broke the deadlock minutes after the interval, slotting into the near side of the net for his 50th goal in 109 Serie A matches.
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