Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s collaboration secured Napoli a 2-1 victory over struggling Cagliari on Saturday, propelling their team into Serie A’s Champions League positions.
Last season’s league title inspiration, Napoli’s attacking duo, contributed a goal each as the reigning champions ascended to fourth place in the standings.
Kvaratskhelia sealed the victory with a decisive strike in the 75th minute, following Osimhen’s headed opener and a swift equalizer from Leonardo Pavoletti for the visiting side, securing Napoli’s win.
Walter Mazzarri’s side now sits two points ahead of both fifth-placed Roma and Bologna, who are set to clash on Sunday. This comes after Napoli secured their third league home win in a season marked by challenges and setbacks.
Napoli’s chances of defending their title appear slim, trailing 11 points behind Inter Milan ahead of the league leaders’ match against Lazio on Sunday night.
Under Claudio Ranieri’s management, Cagliari maintains the 16th position, holding a one-point advantage over the relegation zone and Empoli, who are set to play against Torino in Saturday’s late match.
Napoli secured a victory in a match with a delayed kick-off of 30 minutes due to safety concerns arising from strong winds in Naples.
Inspections on the ground’s roof at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona led to prolonged closure of turnstiles, causing a delay beyond the usual timeframe.
Despite no major damage found during inspections, Napoli faced resilience from Cagliari and struggled to break them down. After several wasted half chances, Amir Rrahmani’s header hit the base of the post just before the half-hour mark. However, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen broke the deadlock in the 69th minute, powering a header through the hands of Cagliari’s goalkeeper Simone Scuffet.
