The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona was supposed to be a fortress on Saturday, but by the final whistle, it felt more like a library. In a performance that lacked heart and clinical finishing, Napoli slumped to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Lazio, effectively waving goodbye to any lingering hopes of a Serie A title defense.
The warning signs were there from the jump. It took Lazio only six minutes to slice through the Neapolitan defense, with Matteo Cancellieri coolly slotting home a move sparked by Kenneth Taylor. Napoli dominated the ball with 54% possession, but it was “empty” dominance. They huffed and puffed around the box but remarkably finished the game with zero shots on target. You simply aren’t winning games at this level when you can’t even test the keeper.
There was a flicker of hope in the 31st minute when Napoli’s goalkeeper pulled off a massive penalty save against Mattia Zaccagni, but even that wasn’t enough to wake up Antonio Conte’s side. Lazio remained the more dangerous outfit, posting an impressive 2.27 Expected Goals (xG) compared to Napoli’s measly 0.55. The dagger finally came in the 57th minute when Toma Basic pounced to make it 2-0, leaving the home fans heading for the exits early.
With only five games left in the season, Napoli now sits 12 points behind a rampant Inter Milan. The dream of the Scudetto is officially dead, and with AC Milan and Juventus closing the gap in the standings, the fight for a Champions League spot is about to get very uncomfortable.
