Milik stunner steers depleted Napoli past Lazio

Date: 20th January 2019 at 10:27pm
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A Napoli side hit hard by injuries and suspensions dug deep to overcome Lazio 2-1 on Sunday night with an impressive display in the circumstances.

Lady Luck was already against them given that they were without Lorenzo Insigne, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marek Hamsik and Allan and seemed even more so as they hit the woodwork repeatedly throughout but first half strikes from Jose Callejon and Arkadiusz Milik helped them to yet another win over the Biancocelesi, their 11th in their last 14 meetings between the sides.

The visitors had a bright start to proceedings when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic brought a good save out of Alex Meret before the in-form Milik showed that he very much has his eye in at the moment when he rattled the woodwork at the other end.

On 21 minutes the frame of the goal denied him again from a firm header which Thomas Strakosha palmed onto the post as the Partenopei began to turn the screw.

They got the opener their play deserved and it came from a surprise source when Callejon ended his goal drought by firing low past Strakosha at the front post for his first goal since the final game of last season against Crotone.

A killer follow-up blow was delivered to an ailing Lazio side who had lost Luiz Felipe to injury shortly before when Milik made sure at the third attempt on goal, this time by surprisingly curling a glorious free-kick into the corner to hand his side the half-time lead.

After the break, the home side struck the woodwork for a third time in the game, with Fabian Ruiz the unlucky party on this occasion by driving one off the bar with the ‘keeper beaten.

Incredibly, they hit the bar once more when Callejon headed against it following a Dries Mertens pass and all of those misses were regretted even more so just a minute later when Ciro Immobile slipped one into the far corner to reduce the deficit.

However, the visitors’ task was made more difficult with 20 minutes remaining when they were reduced to 10 men after Francesco Acerbi was sent off for a very harsh second yellow card when he had appeared to do little wrong in a duel on the edge of the area.

Piotr Zielinski and Adam Ounas both brought decent stops out of Strakosha in the closing stages but they weren’t made to pay for their frequent frustration and held on for the three points.

THE PERFECT OPPONENT FOR CALLEJON

Finally. The Spaniard’s long wait for a Serie A goal ended. Coming into the game, he was the top flight forward to have the most minutes in the Italian top flight this season (1,201) without finding the back of the net.

But all he needed was to face a team who bring out the best in him as he netted his sixth career goal against the Aquile – his favourite victim.

ACERBI FALLS SHORT OF ZANETTI’S RECORD

Coming into the game, the centre-back hadn’t missed a match since October of 2015 and racked up 149 in succession, putting him within sight of Javier Zanetti’s 162-game streak but that has now ended after he will miss the game with Juventus through suspension after his undeserved red card.

 

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