Inter beat Napoli 2-0 on Sunday evening in Serie A, seriously hindering the Azzurri’s chances of securing the Scudetto this season.
The Nerazzurri took the lead very early in the first half, with Mauro Icardi grabbing his 14th goal of the season and then again late on in the first half with a cool finish from Marcelo Brozovic
Coach Maurizio Sarri once again started with Manolo Gabbiadini up front in the absence of Gonzalo Higuain, but it was the hosts that broke the deadlock in the fourth minute, as Inter captain Icardi collected a long pass and sucesfully beat Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina
The visitors slowly got into the game after 20 minutes, with two long-range efforts from Marek Hamsik and Allan which forced Samir Handanovic twice into action.
However, towards the end of the first half, Inter stepped it up a notch and twice went close with a Stevan Jovetic shot which Reina saved and then with a diving header from Ivan Perisic that was just inches wide.
Roberto Mancini’s side extended their lead just before the interval when Icardi turned from goalscorer to provider, allowing Brozovic to slot in from close range.
Sarri decided to make two tactical changes shortly after the second half, but his alterations made little difference as Jose Callejon soon shot wide.
A misunderstanding between Reina and Raul Albiol almost led to a third goal for Inter, but Jovetic’s chip was cleared off the line with a header from Kalidou Koulibaly.
Victory for Inter now means that reaching the Champions League is still very much a realistic aim for Roberto Mancini, as they have closed the gap to Roma to just three points.
Napoli on the other hand have their hopes of a first Serie A title in 25 years dashed as they now sit six points behind Juventus having also played a game more than their rivals.
