Napoli and Internazionale shared the points on Saturday evening. In a direct duel for place one were allowed i Nerazzurri consider themselves most fortunate that it remained at 1-1. Due to the draw, Inter and Napoli remain in first and second place in Serie A respectively with 54 and 53 points; AC Milan can take the lead against Sampdoria on Sunday. Inter still have a game to play. Just like Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij started in the starting line-up and made the foul that resulted in the opening goal.
Without trainer Simone Inzaghi at the helm, who was still missing due to a corona infection, Inter and in particular De Vrij had a lousy start to the match. The defender thought he could defuse a low cross by Lorenzo Insigne after five minutes, but took Victor Osimhen with him in his efforts. The referee pointed to the spot, and Insigne shot the ensuing penalty flawlessly behind Samir Handanovic.
Stefan de Vrij makes a mistake ??
The free causes a penalty and Lorenzo Insigne eagerly uses it ??Will Napoli be number 1 at the end of the game???#ZiggoSport #MotD #NapoliInter pic.twitter.com/YmEQNhvTHq
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) February 12, 2022
As Inter were still looking for the attack before the opening goal, the goal gave Napoli confidence. Piotr Zielinski hit the post after fifteen minutes, while Osimhen was elusive for direct opponent De Vrij throughout the first half. Inter in turn sought it mainly on the counter, especially via Dumfries. The tireless fullback was close to the equalizer four minutes before half-time, but saw his attempt land past the far corner.
Early after the break, Inter tied the score. Lautaro Martínez got the ball on the head of striker Edin Dzeko, who initially headed the ball against a defender. With luck, however, the Bosnian got the ball a second time, and fired hard into the roof of the goal behind David Ospina. Napoli went looking for the victory after all. Osimhen tried to cash in on Marcelo Brozovic’s loss of possession and De Vrij offered Elif Elmas an open chance, but Handanovic kept his goal clean with some nice interventions. With five minutes left on the clock, Napoli was starting to get tired. Led by Dumfries, Inter tried to force something; On the other hand, the leader would not go further than a draw.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | V | † | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Internazionale | 24 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 35 | 54 |
| 2 | Napoli | 25 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 29 | 53 |
| 3 | AC Milan | 24 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 52 |
| 4 | Juventus | 24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 45 |
| 5 | Atalanta | 23 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 17 | 43 |
| 6 | Lazio | 25 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 42 |
| 7 | AS Roma | 24 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 39 |
| 8 | Fiorentina | 23 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 36 |
| 9 | Hellas Verona | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 33 |
| 10 | Torino | 23 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 32 |
| 11 | empoli | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | -10 | 30 |
| 12 | Sassuolo | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | -3 | 29 |
| 13 | Bologna | 24 | 8 | 4 | 12 | -11 | 28 |
| 14 | Udinese | 23 | 6 | 9 | 8 | -3 | 27 |
| 15 | special | 24 | 7 | 5 | 12 | -18 | 26 |
| 16 | sampdoria | 24 | 6 | 5 | 13 | -8 | 23 |
| 17 | Cagliari | 24 | 4 | 8 | 12 | -21 | 20 |
| 18 | Venice | 23 | 4 | 6 | 13 | -22 | 18 |
| 19 | Genoa | 24 | 1 | 11 | 12 | -25 | 14 |
| 20 | Salernitana | 23 | 3 | 3 | 17 | -39 | 11 |