Everything like before. The championship remains unchanged, therefore in favor of Juventus. Who now looks at Napoli from the top of its 6-point lead, which becomes 7 considering the direct match in favor. With 11 days to go, the response from San Paolo is clear: only a collective suicide could cause Juve to lose this Scudetto. “Everything is still open, there are 11 games to go even if we have a good advantage – Antonio Conte "defended" himself. – We still have to face Inter, Lazio and Milan and every game can hold surprises. There's no more time to joke, we can see the finish line but we mustn't make mistakes”.
True, but certainly overcoming the San Paolo rock unscathed is a great advantage. And to think that the bianconeri could have even closed it in the first half. Taking to the field with the classic 3-5-2 (with the more defensive Peluso preferred over Asamoah), Conte's men took the lead after just 10 minutes, thanks to Chiellini's imperious header, served perfectly by Pirlo. A goal capable of extinguishing the enthusiasm of San Paolo and above all of Napoli, confused by Juventus' ability and contracted by too much pressure. In the 19th minute Vucinic has the ball to end the game, match and, perhaps, the Scudetto, but face to face with De Sanctis he wastes incredibly. Paradoxically, the missed knockout brings Napoli out of the ropes. After 35 minutes Zuniga serves Hamsik in the center of the area: the Slovak, pressed by two opponents, manages to kick but Buffon blocks without problems. But something has changed, and in fact the draw comes in the 43rd minute. Finding it is Inler, up to there one of the worst on the pitch, with a shot from 25 meters on which, however, Bonucci's deflection weighs. Before the interval there was still time for a slow-motion crime: Chiellini pulled Cavani by the hair, who in response gave him an elbow in the face. Orsato's decision? A yellow card for the Matador that leaves you dismayed. Because, if you see the nudge (in this case, however, the signal from the goal judge is decisive), red light is the only possible measure. Nothing on the other hand against Chiellini, who evidently escaped the sight of the referee and various assistants. "I won't go into the merits of the episode, there are images and everyone can judge as they prefer" Conte commented ironically, "I'm not talking about the referee, but my players told me there were two penalties for us" he retorted piqued Mazzarri.
In this far west climate (the pre-match crimes should be underlined, when a stone broke through the window of the black and white bus risking seriously injuring Asamoah), however, a correct second half began. Mazzarri switches to 4-3-1-2, with Maggio and Zuniga climbing in defense and Hamsik lower to annoy Pirlo. The results can be seen immediately and Napoli becomes dangerous several times. In the 59th minute a left foot from the Slovakian seriously engages Buffon, which must be repeated in the 65th minute on a deflected shot by Inler. However, the most sensational occasion comes in the 74th minute: Hamsik shoots from distance, the Juventus goalkeeper pushes back Dzemaili's feet, who incredibly misses the tap in with an unguarded goal. "It's impossible not to score, if that ball had gone in we could have won" commented Mazzarri. Who in the end has to settle for a draw, a result much more appreciated by Juventus. “To tell the truth, I was hoping to win to extend the standings – said Conte. – Given the first half then we had thought about it. Had we gone 2-0 it would have been a blow for Napoli and we would have chilled the public. Then in the second half, in my opinion, the boys managed a positive result without risking too much". Amaro, on the other hand, Mazzarri, aware that the Scudetto dream has become damn complicated: “I can't smile, even if I'm happy with the second half and with the performance of my boys. We deserved to win, just like with Sampdoria: we would have 4 more points. It's a period that isn't going well for us”. But woe to talk to him about the impossible Scudetto: “I believe that if the episodes are filmed, we will be able to make a streak of 4-5 consecutive victories. We will try until the end to get as high as possible”. However, now the points from Juve are 6, while those from the pursuers Lazio and Milan are likely to decrease drastically. The Scudetto dream is stimulating, but perhaps the time has come to face reality.
