Napoli-Frosinone 0-4: Dream night for Di Francesco, Napoli ousted
In an unexpected turn of events, Frosinone, the underdogs, thrashed Napoli 0-4 in the last 16 of the Coppa Italia at Stadio Maradona, shocking the Napoli squad and fans.
The opening minutes of the match were uneventful, with both teams meticulously studying each other’s tactics. Napoli’s Lindstrom made an attempt at the 16th minute, which was successfully averted by Frosinone’s Cerofolini. In response, Cajuste and Raspadori of the home side exchanged passes in the box, resulting in the ball hitting the post at the 21st-minute mark.
Despite a seemingly successful goal from Napoli, the celebratory mood shifted as the goal was disallowed due to Lindstrom’s handball at the 38th minute. The first half concluded with no goals from either side.
The second half started with a shot from Frosinone’s Garritano, which was blocked by Gollini at the 49th minute. Napoli then nearly took the lead when a well-executed corner kick nearly found the back of the net at the 64th minute.
However, Frosinone turned the tables with Barrenechea scoring a header from a corner kick followed by Caso capitalising on an error by Di Lorenzo, putting Frosinone ahead by two goals.
As Napoli’s Di Lorenzo made an unsuccessful attempt to equalise, Gollini of Napoli had to deny Gelli a goal at the 84th minute. At the 90th minute, Frosinone was awarded a penalty after a foul by Di Lorenzo on Soulé. Cheddira successfully converted the penalty to solidify Frosinone’s lead. In the additional time, Frosinone’s Harroui added another, making it a memorable victory for Frosinone and an evening to forget for Napoli.
Barrenechea was named man of the match.
The stunning performance by Frosinone saw goals from Barrenechea (64′), Caso (70′), Cheddira (90+1′) and Harroui (90+4′). The Napoli team, under coach Walter Mazzarri, struggled to make a breakthrough against the resilient Frosinone who were well led by their coach, Eusebio Di Francesco.
This defeat sees Napoli exiting the competition at the last 16 stage. This result promises to bring a significant shakeup in the Italian football scene.