Napoli cut Juventus lead to six points News

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Napoli cut Juventus lead to six points

By Daily Sports on October 8, 2018

Napoli moved back to within six points of Serie A leaders Juventus on Sunday, as goals from Adam Ounas and Lorenzo Insigne clinched a 2-0 win over Sassuolo, while Lazio took third by beating Fiorentina.

Carlo Ancelotti's hosts slipped off the pace last weekend with a loss to Juve in Turin, but managed to avoid dropping further adrift after Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the reigning champions' victory at Udinese on Saturday.

Algerian youngster Ounas, making his full debut in Serie A, gave Napoli the perfect start with a magnificent goal in only the third minute.

The 21-year-old latched on to a poor back-pass from Manuel Locatelli, flicked the ball over the head of visiting centre-back Giangiacomo Magnani, and hammered home a stunning left-footed volley to score his first goal in Italian football.

The home team dominated throughout, with Dries Mertens drilling an effort wide before sending an attempted lob from the halfway line floating over.

But Insigne came off the bench early in the second half and secured the win in trademark style with 18 minutes remaining, cutting inside off the left wing and curling a ferocious shot into the far top corner.

Napoli finished the game playing against 10 men after Sassuolo wing-back Rogerio's late red card.

Ciro Immobile scored his first goal against

Fiorentina to send Lazio third with a 1-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico earlier on Sunday.

Simone Inzaghi's Lazio went into the match looking to bounce back from their 3-1 derby defeat by Roma last weekend, and did just that to leapfrog their beaten opponents in the table.

Marco Parolo flashed a shot narrowly wide early on, before Lazio defender Wallace got away with a slack pass as Marco Benassi's effort was kept out by Thomas Strakosha.

Immobile made the breakthrough in the 38th minute as Stefan Radu nodded on a corner and the Italy striker stretched to volley in at the back post for his fifth league goal of the season.

The 28-year-old, who signed a contract extension which will keep him at the club until 2023 earlier this week, has now scored 57 Serie A goals since the start of the 2016-17 campaign.

Giovanni Simeone had a penalty appeal waved away for the visitors, while Marko Pjaca also went close to an equaliser, but the home side held on for their fourth win in five league games.

AC Milan extended their unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions as Gonzalo Higuain scored twice in a 3-1 victory over lowly Chievo at San Siro.

Suso teed up Higuain to tap in a 27th-minute opener, before the former Liverpool winger slipped a through ball into the feet of the Argentinian to make it two before half-time.

Higuain has now scored six goals in just seven appearances for Gennaro Gattuso's men since joining from Juventus in the close-season.

Suso made it a hat-trick of assists as Giacomo Bonaventura collected his pass and drilled home in the 56th minute.

Veteran striker Sergio Pellissier, 39, scored a consolation for Chievo, but the visitors remain rooted to the foot of the table on -1 points after being deducted three by Serie A earlier in the season for "false accounting".

Milan sit 10th, but only three points off the top three with a game in hand.

And finally, Inter Milan dug deep to earn a 2-1 win against SPAL on Sunday night.

Mauro Icardi got both Inter goals, the second coming in the 79th minute, shortly after an equaliser from Alberto Paloschi.

Inter's midweek win against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League was a fifth in succession and they stretched that run on a night where they had to graft for reward.

Mirco Antenucci missed a penalty for SPAL, and Spalletti recognised his team had been in a battle.

•Adapted from a SuperSport report. Photo shows Napoli players

Source Daily Sports

Posted October 8, 2018