In the end Napoli won, but the desire to celebrate isn't that much. In fact, more than for the 3-1 final, the match against Fiorentina will go down in history for what happened off the pitch. Everything happened yesterday in the city of Rome and the match, unfortunately, was only a setting. The picture is more like a war bulletin and this time no exaggeration: there are 3 people in the hospital with gunshot wounds! One of them, Ciro Esposito aged 30, is even dying.
The police station has announced that the triple wounding, by a trader, is not linked to clashes between fans, but this does not change the substance much. Once again a football match has turned into a wild west, in which organized fans have kept the institutions in check. What happened around 21 is emblematic, a time which, in the forecasts on the eve, should have sanctioned the start of the match. Instead Marek Hamsik, captain of Napoli, was forced to deal with the head of the blue ultras, initially opposed to having the match played.
And then the launch of smoke bombs (one hit a fireman), boos at the national anthem, all under the astonished eyes of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and numerous leading figures in politics, law enforcement and sport. An unworthy ending to an absurd day, marked by clashes in various parts of the capital, but also in the motorway restaurants and rest areas. And then there was the match, which started 45 minutes late and was at least able to give a touch of color to a Saturday that was blacker than ever. Napoli won, but Fiorentina have every right to eat their hands. The problem for the Viola, who are largely masters of the match, was their approach.
Too much tension, perhaps also due to the pre-match crowds, but also many weight absences, above all Cuadrado. And so the Azzurri started with their foot on the accelerator, reaping the best fruits right from the start. In the 12th minute, Hamsik steals the ball and serves Insigne, who comes back on the right, letting go of the house specialty: round shot and beaten Neto (1-0). Fiorentina is forced to discover themselves and Napoli, as we know, go to a wedding in the spaces. In the 17th minute Higuain uproots another ball and leaves it again to Insigne, whose shot ends up on the net after a slight deflection. The 2-0 seems to be the prelude to an Azzurri goal, instead the pride of Fiorentina emerges. Which in the 28th minute reopens the game with the award-winning company Ilicic-Vargas: the first finishes, the second scores.
The second half is marked by the Viola who manage to close Napoli in their own half. The problem is the lack of men from the area and Montella tries to remedy by inserting Rossi (returning after the bad injury in January) and Matri. The Azzurri suffer and in the 79th minute they are down to ten due to a silly foul by Inler. The siege continues and does not materialize in goals only due to the inaccuracy of Ilicic, who devours the ball to make it 83-2 in the 2rd minute. And so Napoli, according to the oldest of football laws, punished the wasteful Florentines with Mertens, who closed the accounts in injury time. Thus it ends 3-1 and with the Italian Cup to the Azzurri, the epilogue of a positive season for De Laurentiis and Benitez. But the party is tarnished by the absurd Roman afternoon, the shameful visiting card of our country.
