FOOTBALL – Napoli were made to work hard but they maintained their perfect start to the Serie A season with a 3-2 home win over Pisa yesterday, which took the holders clear atop the standings.
Billy Gilmour netted his first goal at senior club level to give Napoli a first-half lead but M’Bala Nzola’s penalty on the hour drew Pisa level.
Leonardo Spinazzola and Lorenzo Lucca’s goals looked to have wrapped up the win before Lorran’s late goal for the visitors made for a nervy ending.
“It was over at 3-1, Pisa weren’t even pressing us anymore,” Spinazzola told Sky Sports. “But all you need is that little moment of superficiality and it all changes.”
Napoli have 12 points after four games, two points ahead of Juventus, who were held to a 1-1 draw at Hellas Verona on Saturday, while promoted Pisa stay second-bottom with one point.
The hosts looked in control from the start, maintaining possession and probing the Pisa backline, but the visitors almost earned an early penalty.
Kevin De Bruyne fouled Mehdi Leris in the area but a VAR check ruled the Pisa midfielder had earlier handled the ball.
Napoli then began to turn the screw, with the Pisa area under constant pressure, and although Eljif Elmas did have the ball in the net, the goal was ruled out for offside. The hosts did take the lead six minutes before the break though.
Spinazzola’s pull-back found Gilmour on the edge of the area and, after a clever dummy left his marker on the turf, the Scottish midfielder’s deflected shot found the far bottom corner.
Pisa created the first real chance after the interval, with Ebenezer Akinsanmiro’s shot from distance tipped over the bar by Alex Meret and from the resulting corner Napoli conceded a penalty for a Sam Beukema handball, which Nzola converted.
Spinazzola cut inside and held off his marker before drilling a low shot into the net in the 73rd and when substitute Lucca smashed the ball into the top corner from a tight angle against his old club eight minutes from time the contest appeared over.
However, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, sent off in Napoli’s
2-0 loss at Manchester City in the Champions League on Thursday, mis-hit an attempted clearance in the box, allowing Samuele Angori to play the ball in to Lorran for a 90th minute Pisa goal.
Napoli held on and, while it was far from a vintage performance against promoted Pisa, Antonio Conte’s side are on maximum points and clear of the rest.
“We’re at the top but there’s still a long way to go,” Spinazzola added. “We really have to end our games better, because it was over and we allowed them to open it all up again.”
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