An emphatic finish from Lorenzo Insigne completed a Napoli comeback as they overcame Lazio 2-1 in Rome to give Carlo Ancelotti a debut win on his return to Serie A.
Ciro Immobile’s superb first-half finish gave the hosts a deserved lead after 25 minutes, but the visitors were jolted into action by the setback and turned the result around with strikes from Arkadiusz Milik and Insigne either side of the break.
Italy international Immobile latched onto a long ball from Francesco Acerbi, and a drop of the shoulder and swivel of the hips later, three Napoli defenders were clutching at air as the striker buried a curling left-footed finish into the far corner.
Lazio’s lead was deserved, but the goal sparked life into Ancelotti’s men. The lively Piotr Zielinski dipped a shot onto the crossbar, before Lazio failed to clear their lines from a corner and Marek Hamsik’s early strike was parried by Thomas Strakosha into the path of Milik, who tapped home.
However, the goal was overturned after a VAR review ruled that Stefan Radu was fouled by Kalidou Koulibaly. The cheers of the home fans lasted only a few minutes though, as Napoli’s front three combined to give them a leveller. Insigne’s cross found Jose Callejon at the back post and the Spaniard squared to tee Milik up for a close-range finish.
The visitors then completed the comeback on the hour, when Allan helped on an Elseid Hysaj cross from the right directly into the path of Insigne. The winger made no mistake, lashing a fierce finish into the top corner to put them in the driving seat.
Late pressure from Lazio was very nearly rewarded at the death when Acerbi saw his header come back of the post from point-blank range, as Napoli held on to secure a valuable three points and give Ancelotti a dream debut.
Ancelotti’s Napoli show character
Ancelotti said the system will be the same, the interpretation different. But judging on this performance there were still flashes of familiar Sarrismo in Napoli’s performance, and it helped them bounce back after an unconvincing opening.
Milik’s goal was straight from the Partenopei playbook, with Insigne finding Callejon at the back post before the Spaniard squared to set up a tap-in, and Napoli remain a terrifying prospect going forward when they fire on all cylinders.
Aspects of the performance may not have been entirely convincing yet, and Marek Hamsik’s new role as a regista evidently requires a little more time, but a win of this magnitude in week one will give Ancelotti confidence that his team can prove their doubters wrong.
Immobile can fire Lazio forward
Lazio’s Ciro-dipendenza has been a big talking point among fans this summer and the failure to land a second-choice striker during the transfer market is a cause for concern, leaving the ineffective Felipe Caicedo as Simone Inzaghi’s backup option.
However, if the Biancocelesti’s star striker continues to provide more finishes like he did on Saturday evening then they could be set for another memorable season. The attacking potential in this side is great, with Luis Alberto, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Joaquin Correa among the players putting bullets in the chamber for Immobile. The capital club would be wise to wrap him in cotton wool.
