Napoli 0 - 2 Lazio

Napoli (4-3-2-1): Navarro; Santacroce (Maggio, 66’), Cannavaro, Rinaudo, Aronica; Pazienza (Russotto, 73’), Blasi, Bogliacino; Hamsik, Lavezzi; Zalayeta (Denis, 71’)

Lazio (4-4-2): Muslera; Lichtsteiner, Siviglia, Cribari, Kolarov; Brocchi, Ledesma, Matuzalem (De Silvestri, 71’), Foggia (Mauri, 63’); Pandev, Zarate (Rocchi, 55’)

GOALS
57’ Rocchi (Lazio)
65’ Rocchi (Lazio)

Pre-Match And Team News

Both sides were in a precarious position heading into this contest, as their dreams of achieving European qualification next term heavily relied on the eventual outcome of this match. Napoli were desperately struggling in 11th place prior to kick-off, and they were aware of the fact that defeat would see them slip further down the table, depending on other results. Meanwhile, Lazio had the opportunity to narrow the gap between themselves and their cross town rivals Roma, the team that occupied the sixth and final European qualifying position.

The home side were dealt a crushing blow a day prior to the contest, as their playmaker Walter Gargano was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a serious fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. In addition to this, the club’s new signing Jesus Datolo was also forced to miss out, as a result of an ankle problem.

The Biancocelesti were looking good on the injury front in the lead up to this match, due to the fact that they had no serious problems to contend with. The biggest issue for Delio Rossi however came in attack, as he opted to start with Mauro Zarate and Goran Pandev up front, meaning that the captain Tommaso Rocchi was left out yet again.

First Half

The visitors got the play underway in Naples, and they did not take long to make a promising move forward, as both Zarate and Matuzalem had opportunities within the first 90 seconds of play. Some fantastic defending by Cannavaro in particular, prevented the pair from getting their shots away, meaning that the keeper Navarro was not made to work early on.

Just five minutes later however, Muslera was forced to make a stunning save at the other end, to deny Lavezzi from close range. The Argentinean attacker was gifted an opportunity to break the deadlock, however unfortunately for his sake he failed to beat Lazio’s Uruguayan goal keeper from all of ten yards. The keeper was made to work again on 10 minutes, when he coolly came from his line to meet a free kick taken by Bogliacino.

The capital club slowly began to take control of the contest, as they were in command in the middle of the park. They went close to opening the scoring yet again, when Zarate attempted a long range effort on 14 minutes that narrowly missed the target. Despite their control however, the home side kept at it, and went close to scoring themselves through Zalayeta just moments later, although his header sailed over the bar.

Lazio continued to press, and incredibly they failed to break the deadlock yet again on 22 minutes. Kolarov’s tremendous run on the left eventually resulted in him cutting the ball back to Zarate, however despite his time and space, the Argentinean failed to make decent contact with the ball. His miss hit was perfectly positioned for the sliding Brocchi; however he somehow failed to hit the target from only a few yards out.

Both sides struggled to find a way through the opposing defence for the next ten or so minutes, as both looked determined and confident at the back. Hamsik had a penalty shout for the home side after half an hour of play; however nothing came of it, as the referee called for play to continue. With exception to that opportunity, neither side tested Navarro or Muslera in goals for the remainder of the half.

After a bright opening, the intensity certainly dropped in the latter stages, as the players all looked tentative when moving forward. There was plenty to play for in the second half, as the score was deadlocked at the break.

Second Half

The home side resumed proceedings in their very own San Paolo stadium, and somewhat surprisingly, neither coach made a change at the interval. The half commenced exactly how the first ended, as both sides were dull and uninspiring when in possession of the ball.

Having said this though, Napoli had a fantastic opportunity to open the scoring on 50 minutes, when Muslera was forced to rush from his line to deal with a cross by Santacroce. The young defender did exceptionally well to beat an opponent on the right, and his ball into the area was even better, however the opposing keeper was quick to react and deny Hamsik of a free header on goal.

The home fans began to lift in voice, as they could sense that their side were slowly beginning to work themselves into a commanding position. Muslera was tested again by Aronica, who struck the ball with some force from long range. The Roman club simply could not get the ball past the half way line, as the Partenopei began to take charge.

Delio Rossi responded by making the first switch of the afternoon, as Zarate was taken from the field, and replaced by the captain Rocchi on 55 minutes. The change had an immediate impact, as the substitute managed to open the scoring for the Biancocelesti completely against the run of play just two minutes later. Foggia’s excellent vision saw him play a long ball forward to his skipper, and after making his way from the half way line with the ball at his feet, the 31-year-old calmly slotted it past Navarro to open the scoring.

The Lazio coach made his second switch on 63 minutes, as Foggia was replaced by Mauri. Incredibly two minutes following the substitution, Lazio grabbed their second of the night, through Rocchi once again. A free kick taken by Ledesma took a massive deflection, which eventually fell to the feet of Rocchi, who, on the edge of the area, sensationally volleyed home his second of the afternoon.

Edy Reja went on to make three changes in the next seven minutes following Rocchi’s second goal, as he brought on Maggio, Denis and Russotto. The three substitutes failed to have a major impact on proceedings however, and with less than 15 minutes remaining, it seemed as if Napoli were destined for yet another disappointing result.

Muslera was once again called in to action on 80 minutes, as he made two critical saves to ensure that his side kept hold of their two goal advantage. His first save required quick thinking, as a low cross in by Lavezzi sailed straight through to the keeper, whilst the second came about following a powerful shot from Aronica, who failed to beat Muslera from close range.

Having failed to make the most of those glaring opportunities, it was becoming increasingly likely that the capital club would manage to hold onto their advantage and their clean sheet. Unfortunately for the sake of the home fans, that is exactly how it ended, as Lazio held on to their 2-0 advantage, to attain a crucial three points in the process.

The result means that Napoli are winless in their past nine league matches, with just two draws in this time, whilst Lazio have now won four matches in succession, in all competitions, as they continue their impressive resurgence to find themselves in seventh place, just four points adrift of Roma.