Napoli: Free Falling
Let's just talk about the new guy instead...
I'd really rather not talk about how my boys in blue continue to find new and innovative ways to slide down the table. But what can I do? They seem hellbent on repeating last seasons mid-season slump- but the results are quite disappointing for a team targeting the Champions League. If they don't shape up, they're going to have difficulty qualifying for the UEFA cup. (Or whatever it is the UEFA cup is to be called next season...) Yeah. Lavezzi scored, Hamsik scored, Cannavaro did something boneheaded and gave away a penalty, and Quagliarella gave Udinese the tie with a goal that even the San Paolo applauded.
In off-field news, Daniele Mannini (along with Davide Possanzini of Brescia) has been hit with a one year ban for turning up to a drugs test five minutes late. The unusually harsh sentence has drawn condemnation from all quarters of Italian football, and all Serie A and B games this weekend started 15 minutes late in protest at the ruling. Also, new signing Jesus Datalo, coming to us from Boca Juniors, was presented to the San Paolo before the game.
Napoli 2 - 2 Udinese
Lavezzi 24 (N), Hamsik 27 (N), Di Natale pen 32 (U), Quagliarella 45 (U)
NapoliNavarro; Cannavaro, Rinaudo, Contini; Maggio (Zalayeta 67), Blasi, Gargano, Vitale; Hamsik; Denis, Lavezzi
Udinese Handanovic; Ferronetti (Pasquale 73), Zapata, Coda, Lukovic; Isla, D'Agostino, Inler; Asamoah, Quagliarella (Floro Flores 84), Di Natale (Sanchez 66)
Ref Gervasoni
Match Stats
Post-Match Comments
-Reja (English)
-Quagliarella, Udinese coach Marino, Reja, Rinaudo (Italian)
-Navarro (Italian)
Yeah, the number on the shirt? That's how many minutes late we're starting.
Rinaudo starts the evening's festivities with some interpretive dance...
which Cannavaro thought was such a good idea he joined in.
Lavezzi: I don't know what you guys are doing, I'm here to score.
And he did.
And there was great rejoicing.
Lavezzi: Dude, it's your turn now!
However, it was Hamsik who found the goal next.
*watches it go*
YAY!
Cannavaro's quite happy for him.
So happy he's trying to...pull his shirt off?
There was a fair bit of celebrating.
Hamsik: Who's the man?
Quagliarella: Why, that would be me, actually.
Whole San Paolo: We can't really argue with that.
President de Laurentiis: THIS IS WHY I WANT THAT ALL-NEAPOLITAN TEAM!
In the second half, Lavezzi did his best to get things started again.
It didn't go very well.
Gargano gave it a good try...
...as did Zalayeta, who came on for Maggio.
And that's that...
No, coach, I don't know why I gave away that penalty either.
It's ok, Lavezzi. There will be other days.
Napoli next take on Juventus Wednesday in a Coppa Italia quarterfinal match. The winner of that match will take on Lazio in the semi-finals.
On a side note, sorry about the prolonged lack of Napoli posts. I'm not going to be all dramatic about it, but suffice it to say that football has had to take a back seat to other things in my life lately. I'm trying to get back on top of things, though!