Juventus Beats Napoli 1-0: Gatti Makes Key Decision at Stadium Again
In the 15th round of the Serie A 2023/24 season, Juventus and Napoli faced off in a thrilling match at the Allianz Stadium.
In the early moments of the match, Napoli’s Rrahmani posed a threat with a well-placed header initially thwarted by Bremer. Juventus then responded in the 7th minute through a shot from Cambiaso who was set up nicely by Vlahovic although it missed the target. An attempt from Napoli team’s Politano in the 9th minute surprisingly brushed the post with the Juventus’s goalkeeper, Szczesny yet to make a move.
Massive chances came for Juventus in the 19th minute when Vlahovic found himself alone in the box after a pass from Chiesa. However, he shot clumsily straight at Natan. The ball popped up for McKennie’s overhead kick, but it flew over the bar.
Some missed opportunities were notable on both sides, with the most glaring being Kvaratskhelia’s missed goal in the 28th minute after he was expertly set up by Osimhen. Subsequently, Szczesny, the Juventus goalkeeper, made a spectacular save in the 39th minute denying Di Lorenzo’s close-range shot.
The first half was wrapped up with some aggression on the pitch leading to Kvaratskhelia’s booking just before the halftime whistle.
The second half commenced and early into it, a stunning shot from Vlahovic hit the post in the 49th minute. The striker was brilliantly set up by McKennie with a pass from Locatelli, but was offside anyway. Just two minutes later, Gatti, the Juventus centre-back, scored by heading home a cross from Cambiaso, putting Juventus ahead.
The remainder of the second half was eventful with a mix of opportunities and controversies. Notably, Juventus protested for a handball in the penalty area by Di Lorenzo in the 64th minute. Their claim however was dismissed because the ball had initially hit the defender’s head.
There was more drama in the 70th minute when a goal from Napoli’s Osimhen was disallowed because of Szczesny’s botched clearance which fell straight to Politano, eventually finding Osimhen. However, the striker was offside.
Tensions heightened in the final minutes of the game with both Locatelli and Osimhen being booked.
Juventus managed to hold onto their lead, emerging victorious with a 1-0 win over Napoli. Gatti, the solitary goal scorer, was declared as the Man of the Match for his outstanding performance.
The game closed with Juventus (3-5-2): Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Chiesa, Vlahovic, under the guidance of Allegri. On the Napoli side (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Natan; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia with Mazzarri as the coach. The match saw bookings for Kvaratskhelia, Bremer, Juan Jesus, Osimhen, and Locatelli. The referee for the match was Orsato, of Schio.