MILAN: Champions Juventus restored their three-point lead at the top of Serie A yesterday with a 2-0 win at struggling Empoli while rivals Roma slumped to a 2-0 defeat to a rapidly-improving Napoli.
Andrea Pirlo and Alvaro Morata got the goals for Juve in the space of 11 second-half minutes in the first meeting between the two sides since 2008.
Pirlo opened the scoring with his first goal of the season, a sweet free-kick which dipped over the wall and past Davide Bassi in the Empoli goal.
Former Empoli player Claudio Marchisio then hit the woodwork before ex-Real Madrid star Morata made it 2-0 with a left-foot curler.
Earlier, a spectacular early strike from Gonzalo Higuain and a late Jose Callejon goal handed Napoli a precious 2-0 win over title challengers Roma that moved Rafael Benitez’s men up to third.
The sides met at Napoli’s San Paolo stadium for the first time since the death of 31-year-old Ciro Esposito, a Napoli fan who was killed by a hardline Roma ‘ultra’ on the fringes of the Italian Cup final last May.
Approximately 600 police were deployed in and around the stadium but the drama was played out exclusively on the pitch as Napoli dominated from the outset to rubber-stamp their return to form following a difficult start to the season.
“I’ve said for a long time we need to take it one game at a time. I don’t deserve the credit for this win, it’s all down to the players,” Benitez told Sky Sport.
In front of a half-empty stadium, following a decision to ban travelling supporters from the capital and surrounding regions, Higuain gave the hosts a three-minute lead with an acrobatic bicycle kick that beat Roma ‘keeper Morgan De Sanctis from inside the area.
Lorenzo Insigne’s long-distance drive was deflected and as it fell in front of Higuain and the striker turned on the volley to beat the Roma ‘keeper from 10 yards.
It was the Argentinian’s fifth goal inside a week, Higuain having scored a hat-trick last weekend in a 6-2 win over Verona and one from the penalty spot in a 1-1 draw away to Atalanta in midweek.
Higuain set up Callejon for Napoli’s second five minutes from time to rubber-stamp their return to form following a dismal start to the campaign.
“Napoli were the strongest. The best team won,” said Roma coach Rudi Garcia. “At the start we got our approach all wrong.”
Garcia admitted Roma had suffered a “mental problem”.
Napoli should have put the match to bed well before the half-time whistle.
Insigne was in fine form, the diminutive striker seeing two great chances go amiss including one which De Sanctis, who shipped seven goals in a recent 7-1 Champions League drubbing by Bayern Munich, tipped round the post.AFP
