Napoli closed a practically perfect first round on Saturday, winning 2-0 in their visit to Salerntiana (16th) and escaping as the leader with a wide mattress during the 19th day of Serie A.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo (45+3) and Nigerian Victor Osimhen (48) managed to beat Mexican Guillermo Ochoa, Salernitana goalkeeper, to secure the 16th victory for the Neapolitans so far this season.
"I am happy for the goal because it was important to pave the way to success"said Captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo. "It was important to unlock the challenge in the first half".
The other scorer of the day, the Nigerian Victor Osimhen, has 13 goals and remains the top scorer in the championship.
With fifty points in nineteen games, Napoli provisionally has a twelve-point lead over second-placed AC Milan, who visit Lazio Roma (4th) on Tuesday, and thirteen over Inter Milan (3rd), who will host Empoli ( 12th).
Juventus (10th) was another of Napoli’s rivals for the Scudetto, and equaled Inter on points, but after suffering a fifteen-point penalty on Friday for transfers deemed fraudulent by sports courts, they run out of options in the title fight.
"We resolved the game when we reached the rhythm. It was a victory of maturity"assessed Luciano Spalletti after the game.
"historic opportunity"
After having fought a good part of last season against defending champions Milan and Inter for the Scudetto, Napoli seems headed this season to achieve the long-awaited third scudetto, after the two achieved during the era of Argentine Diego Maradona at the Italian club ( 1987, 1990).
"We know that we are facing a historic opportunity, but what we have to do is our football, thinking with humility and responsibility in each game"Spalletti added.
The victory also serves to leave behind the early elimination in the Italian Cup on Tuesday against Cremonese, bottom team in the championship but who won on penalties, after a match that ended 2-2.
La Salernitana (16th), protagonist this week of the dismissal and subsequent reinstatement of coach Davide Nicola after last Sunday’s 8-2 win against Atalanta, now has seven consecutive games in the championship without winning (five losses and two draws), and begins to get dangerously close to the relegation zone.
Hours before the Campania derby, Hellas Verona (18th) took a small step towards salvation by beating Lecce (14th) 2-0.