Napoli takes the lead. The big match at the San Paolo smiles at the Azzurri, capable of beating Inter and thus flying to the top of the standings, moreover alone seeing the 1-1 draw between Sassuolo and Fiorentina in the other postponement on Monday. Such a result hadn't been achieved since 1990, when a certain Maradona played in the shadow of Vesuvius and the square celebrated league titles and European cups.
“I'm happy to have given this emotion to our stupendous audience – explained Sarri. – But now we have to start over as if nothing had happened, the championship is still very long. At one point we felt performance anxiety and we did things wrong that we usually do well, risking reopening the game. We have to be careful, ours is a beautiful environment to live in but very difficult to manage. From the next matches we will need a lot of humility because there are still 71 points up for grabs".
Great joy for Maurizio Sarri and his boys but obligatory compliments to Inter: Mancini's team comes out beaten but with their heads held high, indeed very high considering the more than half the match played in numerical inferiority. In the most important exam, the Nerazzurri proved they weren't up there by chance, thus consolidating their candidacy for the title.
“I would have preferred to play worse and win again 1-0 – Mancini commented bitterly. – It was a great game ruined by Nagatomo's absurd sending off. You can't get the cards out like this, it doesn't make sense. And then we met a great Higuain, an extraordinary player who makes a huge difference. However, a race like this can also be lost but it must give us great awareness in our means ".
The one who can no longer hide at this point is definitely Napoli. Scary numbers for Sarri's team: 18 consecutive games without losing (the last and only defeat of the season dates back to August 23), best defense in the league together with Inter (9 goals conceded), 8 victories in the last 9 days. And then there's Gonzalo Higuain, an absolute top player capable of winning almost by himself.
With Pipita on the pitch, even more at the San Paolo, the goal is an absolute certainty (with yesterday's goals he reached 12 in Serie A, 8 in a row at home): a sort of "guaranteed" 1-0, a luxury that only the biggest clubs in the world (Messi's Barcelona, for example) can afford. To be reductive, but not that much, last night he made the difference: had Mancini had him, probably the 3 points would have gone to the Nerazzurri.
It only took Pipita 2' to beat Handanovic and direct the match with a terrifying right foot, a real missile on which the Slovenian goalkeeper was unable to do anything. It seemed like the beginning of total domination, but Inter held their ground and stayed in the game without creating particular problems for Reina. In the 44th minute the Nerazzurri suffered a severe blow: Nagatomo, booked a few minutes earlier for a foul on Callejon, entered Allan in a disorderly (and naive) manner, prompting Orsato to draw a second yellow card.
Inter down by a goal and a man, moreover in a fiery San Paolo like we haven't seen in a while. Mancini "remedied" the expulsion by inserting Telles in place of the evanescent Icardi and shortly after increased the danger of him by placing Biabiany for Guarin. But for the current Higuain there are no tactical devices that hold: in the 62nd minute the Argentine passed between Miranda and Murillo and pierced Handanovic with another unstoppable right foot.
Absolute riot at Fuorigrotta but right there, in the most difficult moment, Inter's pride came out. In the 67th minute Ljajic reopened the games with a strong and precise left foot, after which another match began. Napoli, weighed down by the pressure of the supremacy, dangerously withdrew their center of gravity thus giving up looking for the knockout blow, except for another great personal action by Higuain, on which Handanovic surpassed himself.
And the nerazzurri, in full recovery, twice came close to a draw which, on balance, would have been sensational but deserved. Jovetic hit the post after Reina was beaten, a few seconds later Miranda did the same even if, this time, the Spanish goalkeeper hit decisively. Orsato's final whistle certified Napoli's victory but also a test of character for Inter. To win, now more than ever, is our championship, undoubtedly the most beautiful and uncertain in recent years.
