Serie A 2024-25: Napoli denied top spot after second consecutive loss to Lazio

Serie A 2024-25: Napoli denied top spot after second consecutive loss to Lazio

Lazio denied Napoli the chance to return to the top of the Serie A standings with a 1-0 away win on Sunday, its second victory this week over Napoli, following its midweek Coppa Italia success.

Napoli remains second on 32 points, two behind leader Atalanta and while Lazio stays fifth, the win moved it level on 31 points with Inter Milan and Fiorentina, who have both played a game less.

Lazio advanced at the expense of Napoli in a 3-1 win at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday, and while two much-changed sides took to the pitch in Naples, the league meeting finished with the same outcome thanks to Gustav Isaksen’s 79th-minute goal.

Only two of the 22 who started the cup tie were on the pitch at kickoff for this game, with Lazio’s Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Mattia Zaccagni the only players to keep their places.

Heavy rain poured down at kickoff at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and Napoli poured forward in the opening minutes.

Scott McTominay had an early chance to score for the second successive league game but Lazio keeper Ivan Provedel pulled off a reflex save after Matteo Politano laid the ball back from the byline.

After a frantic start by the home side, Lazio began to get a foothold in the game and it was the turn of Napoli keeper Alex Meret to keep the match scoreless after Isaksen cut inside from the wing before getting a strike away.

The last action of the half almost broke the deadlock but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s free kick whizzed just wide of the upright.

Lazio went close shortly after the break with Dele-Bashiru’s shot from distance rattling the crossbar, and later Napoli’s Andre Anguissa’s header from a corner hit the upright, in what was a scrappier affair in the second half.

Tijjani Noslin’s entrance from the bench must have struck fear into Napoli fans after the Lazio forward’s hat-trick sent it crashing out of the cup just days previously, but his first effort from a counterattack was blasted high and wide.

Minutes later, however, it was Noslin’s pass which set Isaksen on his way and he twisted and turned to go past Mathias Olivera before striking a stunning curling effort into the far corner to put Lazio back into contention in what is turning out to be a close title race.