The adventure of begins with a victory Anthony Conte on the bench of the Napolieven if Maradona did not lack shivers. Yes, because to get the better of the Modena in the race valid for the thirty-second round of Italian Cup the Azzurri needed penalties, which came after the 0-0 draw in regulation time and as a consequence of the new tournament rules, which do not include extra time at least until the quarter-finals. From the spot, the Neapolitan fans suffered when Cheddira had his shot neutralized, but Meret he rose to prominence as a hero by saving two penalties and giving Napoli the passage to the next round, who will face the winner of Parma-Palermo in the round of 32, scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
From the very first moments it was clear what the plot of the match was: Napoli kept control of the game the entire time and pressed their opponents to recover possession as quickly as possible, while Modena limited themselves to defending in an orderly manner, with the aim of doing damage on the counterattack. A strategy, that of the Emilians, that in the first half worked perfectly, so much so that in the 45th minute the main scoring opportunities fell to the guests, who first tested Meret with a central intervention, and then hit the post around the half-hour mark with a left-footed shot by Palumbo, a player born and raised in Scampia. The Azzurri brought several men into the Gialloblù’s half, but unable to break through they relied heavily on conclusions from outside. The last shot of the first half was scored by Spinazzola, whose deflected diagonal shot ended just wide.
In the second half the trend is even more accentuated: Conte’s men attack with even more vehemence and crush the Modena players in their area who, exhausted by fatigue and the heat, are no longer able to sting on the counterattack. The Napoli coach tries to change something, removing an evanescent Raspadori to field a striker like Cholito Simeone. At the end Cheddira is also thrown into the fray, but even with the two centre-forwards and a hyper-offensive formation Napoli is unable to avoid penalties.
Meret 7, Di Lorenzo 6, Rrahmani 6.5, Buongiorno 6.5, Mazzocchi 5.5 (73′ Ngonge 6), Lobotka 6.5, Anguissa 5, Spinazzola 6.5 (73′ Olivera 5.5), Politano 5.5 (86′ Cheddira 5), Raspadori 5 (66′ Simeone 6), Kvaratskhelia 6.
Kvaratskhelia 6 – Without Osimhen and waiting for Neres and Lukaku, the weight of the attack falls entirely on his shoulders. The Georgian tries to make a play as usual, but the more time passes, the more he ends up stubborn;
Spinazzola 6.5 – Despite those who doubt his physical condition, the former Roma full-back seems to be the player who has benefited most from Conte’s grueling preparation. This is demonstrated by the continuous overlaps with which he frees up precious spaces for Kvara;
Anguissa 5 – From the fittest to the most congested. Maybe his size requires longer timing, but the Cameroonian is far from being in acceptable condition. He is completely out of shape at the end of the match and makes several mistakes;
Lobotka 6.5 – Coaches change but R-obotka is programmed to expertly distribute every ball that comes his way.
