Napoli piled the pressure on Claudio Ranieri’s Roma with a 4-1 win in the Stadio Olimpico yesterday consolidating second place, 15 points behind runaway leaders Juventus in Serie A. Arkadiusz Milik put the visitors ahead after two minutes with Dries Mertens, Simone Verdi and Amin Younes adding three more in the second half to inflict another blow on the hosts’ Champions League ambitions next season.
Juventus had continued their march towards an eighth consecutive Serie A title with on-form teenager Moise Kean scoring the only goal against Empoli on Saturday. Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli have almost no chance of winning the title with nine games to go, but extended their cushion on third-placed Inter Milan to ten points before Luciano Spalletti’s side host Lazio later last night.
“I expected a performance like this. In training I had seen the right spirit, the team is growing,” said Ancelotti, whose side are building towards a Europa League quarter-final clash against Arsenal. It was a further blow for Ranieri in just his third game in charge since taking over from Eusebio Di Franecesco as the Romans fell to their second consecutive defeat for the first time this season.
“Do I regret having accepted Roma? Never. I could never regret training this club,” said Ranieri. “It was tough, as Napoli swarm around you, change position constantly and make it very difficult to defend,” said Ranieri. “We’re doing everything we can.”
Roma’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are dwindling and they are in danger of missing out on European football as their sixth position is under threat from Lazio who are two points behind but have a game in hand.
Roma failed to take advantage of fourth-placed AC Milan’s 1-0 defeat against Sampdoria on Saturday. A win would have moved them within a point of the Champions League places. Instead, Atalanta jumped to fifth with a 3-1 comeback win against Parma.
Ancelotti’s Napoli dominated against the club where he spent eight seasons as a player. Roma were struggling to keep up from the start when Verdi sent the ball over for Milik to blast the visitors ahead early.
The Polish striker had a second goal disallowed for offside before Diego Perotti pulled Roma level just before the break with a penalty after a foul on Patrik Schick. But hopes of a revival were short lived with Mertens tapping in a second four minutes after the break off a Jose Callejon assist.
Verdi piled more pressure on Ranieri’s side with a third on 54 minutes following good work by Fabian Ruiz on the counter attack. Roma had chances with Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret denying Bryan Cristante with Steven Nzonzi heading the rebound onto the bar.
But Younes compounded the misery of the hosts, adding the fourth nine minutes from time following a scramble on front of goal after a poorly cleared corner. Colombian striker Duvan Zapata scored a late brace in a 3-1 comeback win for Atalanta who are three points off the Champions League places.
Ivorian Gervinho had put Parma ahead after eight minutes at home.
Zapata, 27, has scored 19 league goals this season, matching Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo’s haul and two behind Sampdoria’s Fabio Quagliarella. Torino held Fiorentina 1-1 in Tuscany and are two points adrift of the Europa League places.
Meanwhile, Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma apologised after his early blunder saw AC Milan trail after just 33 seconds in a 1-0 defeat to Sampdoria on Saturday, which could damage their Champions League push.
Donnarumma picked up an Alessio Romagnoli back pass and put the ball straight into the path of Sampdoria forward Gregoire Defrel as AC Milan fell to a second straight defeat after a 3-2 derby loss to Inter before the international break. “Mistakes happen and I apologise to everyone,” said the 20-year-old.
“I’m sorry I affected the game. But it won’t be a mistake to break me down. I’ve gone through worse. Last year I went through a very rough time and if I managed to get through that, I can get through this too. One mistake won’t destroy everything we’ve worked for.”
Patrick Cutrone was twice denied the equaliser with a Krzysztof Piatek header also saved. Milan also had a late penalty appeal turned down after a VAR review for a Nicola Murru tackle on Piatek.
Italian Serie A results
Parma 1 (Gervinho 8) Atalanta 3 (Pasalic 24, Zapata 75, 90+4); Fiorentina 1 (Simeone 7) Torino 1 (Baselli 34); Frosinone 0 SPAL 1 (Vicari 13); Roma 1 (Perotti 45+4-pen) Napoli 4 (Milik 2, Mertens 50, Verdi 55, Younes 81); Bologna 2 (Pulgar 68-pen, Destro 90+6) Sassuolo 1 (Boga (90+2)
Played Saturday: Udinese 2 (Okaka 4, Mandragora 62) Genoa 0; Juventus 1 (Kean 72) Empoli 0; Sampdoria 1 (Defrel 1) AC Milan 0
Played Friday: Chievo 0 Cagliari 3
(Pisacane 16, João Pedro 33, Ionita 43)
