Napoli lost their 8th match in Serie A this season

Italy Defending champion Napoli continued their decline when they lost 0-1 at Milan in round 24 and dropped to ninth place in Serie A.

The only goal came in the 25th minute, when Rafael Leao played a through ball for Theo Hernandez to break into the box and finish with his left foot into the near post past goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini. With four goals, Hernandez is the highest-scoring defender at home in Europe's top five leagues this season, tied with Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong in the Bundesliga.

Milan defender Theo Hernandez clears the ball during the 1-0 win over Napoli in the 24th round of Serie A at San Siro on February 11, 2024. Photo: AFP

The result means Milan have not won at home against Napoli in Serie A since December 2014, having lost their last three matches. The two teams met in the quarter-finals of last season's Champions League, with Milan winning 1-0 at home to progress 2-1 on aggregate.

Milan are firmly in third place with 52 points, the same number they had after 24 rounds in the 2021-2022 championship season. The only difference is that Inter and Juventus are both playing better this season with 60 and 53 points respectively.

"I don't know if this is the best Milan can do," said coach Stefano Pioli. "We have played well in the last month and a half, almost on par with an Inter side that is having an incredible season. There is no point looking back, we have to move forward, trying to compete in both Serie A and the Europa League. It won't be easy because of the physical impact."

Napoli played well at San Siro yesterday, even having more dangerous opportunities. In particular, striker Giovanni Simeone was unlucky when his close-range shot hit the post in the 10th minute and curled over the crossbar near the penalty area early in the second half. The away team had another time when Jesper Lindstrom's cross hit Jan Simic's foot and hit the crossbar.

Napoli striker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (left) disputes with AC Milan defender Alessandro Florenzi during a Serie A match at San Siro stadium, Milan on February 11. Photo: AP

The squandered chances saw Napoli suffer their eighth defeat and drop to ninth in Serie A with 35 points, seven behind fourth-placed Atalanta. Coach Walter Mazzarri said Napoli's aim was to win as many games as possible and fight for fourth place.

Against Milan, Napoli started with five defenders and switched to a 4-3-3 in the second half with the introduction of Matteo Politano. "I don't think the change of system was the key to playing better in the second half, we just did better," Mazzarri said of his team's tactics. "Milan pressed hard in the first half and played deep in the second. Napoli played well, but could have done better to take advantage of the opponent's lack of fitness."

Hong Duy

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