A goal at the death from Giacomo Raspadori saw Napoli win at Juventus 1-0 on Sunday as the visitors moved closer to their first Serie A crown in 33 years. Juventus saw a goal scored by Angel Di Maria disallowed in the final ten minutes of the match before Raspadori managed to score the deciding goal of the clash with a well-taken volley.
There was another controversial episode in the first half when Juventus defender Federico Gatti hit Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the face but VAR decided to not intervene. Later, in the second half, the same VAR disallowed the goal scored by Di Maria for a foul in the build-up.
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri spoke to DAZN after the game but didn’t add fuel to the controversial decision.
“The referees are very good, they had a good performance. The referee was very good and I congratulated him at the end of the game,” he said.
CBS Sports soccer rules expert Christina Unkel said VAR should have recommended a red card in the Gatti-Kvaratskhelia incident:
The team coached by Luciano Spalletti won a crucial game just a few days after they were knocked out by AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League’s quarterfinals. The European disappointment increased some doubts among the fans in recent days, but Napoli immediately reacted and probably won the game that will give the title to the Azzurri. In fact, if Lazio don’t win against Inter next Sunday in Milan, Napoli will be awarded the title if they win against Salernitana on Saturday.
It would be a historical event for Napoli fans as the last time they won the Scudetto was during the 1989-90 season, when Diego Armando Maradona was the star of the team.
On another note, the Champions League race is incredibly entertaining as Juventus are now back in the race after they won the appeal over financial mismanagement and got their 15 points deducted back. Lazio are now in second place with 61 points, while Juventus are now third (59). AS Roma will play against Atalanta on Monday, while AC Milan (56) and Inter (54) are still in the race the top four.