Napoli’s new heroes announced themselves to the world last weekend in a 5-2 thrashing of Hellas Verona. On Sunday night, they showed that their opening weekend performance was not a one-off in the 4-0 rout of Silvio Berlusconi’s AC Monza.
The Partenopei signed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia this summer to replace club legend Lorenzo Insigne on the left wing, following the talisman’s departure to the Major League Soccer.
It didn’t take long for the Georgian to endear himself to Neapolitans, scoring and assisting on his debut and then netting a brace in his second game – his first on Sunday night, the opener in Napoli’s 4-0 win, a sensational curler from outside the box.
Like Kvara, Victor Osimhen, too, scored in back-to-back games for Luciano Spalletti’s side. The forward, released by Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, powered his shot through the legs of goalkeeper Michele di Gregorio on the stroke of half-time for the second goal of the night.
Kvaratskhelia increased Napoli’s lead to three, two minutes past the hour. Collecting the ball from Stanislav Lobotka, the winger dummied inside on his left foot, kept his composure, and drilled the ball into the corner.
Fellow summer signing Kim Min-Jae headed in the fourth and final goal of the game from a corner in second-half stoppage time, sending Napoli top of Serie A after two matches.
Champions AC Milan, meanwhile, dropped points away from home to Atalanta – and already have ground to make up in the title race. Milan trailed 29 minutes into the match after Ukraine international Ruslan Malinovskyi’s deflected shot from the edge of the box had beaten a diving Mike Maignan. Attempts to draw back level before the break were in vain, with the Rossoneri lacking their shooting boots.
It took something special to draw Milan level, which arrived from an unlikely source. Ismael Bennacer, rarely the goalscorer, collected the ball from a short corner in the 68th minute, beat his marker, and curled his shot in off the far post. 1-1; the game finished.
