- Giovanni Di Lorenzo - 18'
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - 66'
- Romelu Lukaku - 70'
- Alessandro Buongiorno - 90'+3'
Napoli beat Cagliari for 3rd Serie A win in a row
Napoli went top of Serie A with 4-0 victory at Cagliari on Sunday, thanks to goals from Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Romelu Lukaku and Alessandro Buongiorno.
After beginning the season with a shock loss to Hellas Verona, Antonio Conte's side have secured three consecutive wins.
Napoli took the lead with a fortuitous shot from Di Lorenzo, whose attempt from outside the box deflected off Cagliari defender Yerry Mina and rolled into the far corner after 18 minutes.
The match was suspended for several minutes in the first half after fans from both sides threw objects at each other and fireworks onto the field.
Cagliari launched several attacks in the early part of the second half, but Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret made several impressive saves to maintain his side's lead.
In the 66th minute, Romelu Lukaku's through ball set up Kvaratskhelia for a second goal, and the Belgian striker added a third four minutes later following a defensive error.
"I have always said that I wanted Romelu at Inter Milan, had also requested him at Chelsea before he went to Manchester United, because he is an atypical striker," Conte told Sky Sport Italia.
"He is extremely tall and physically strong, but also very good at sprinting forward. His condition is still nowhere near optimal, but he becomes fundamental for us."
The 55-year-old Conte added that, despite the result, there was still room for improvement for Napoli.
"We started well, the interruption for the fireworks and objects thrown stalled our momentum, then we saw in the second half what we should've done better," he said.
"We need to keep improving on the duels all over the field, keeping focused and concentrated, because that is what you require in Serie A."
Deep into stoppage time, Buongiorno headed in the fourth goal from a corner to give the visitors all three points.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Federico La Penna
Italian Serie A Standings
Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Napoli | 17 | 12 | 2 | 3 | +14 | 38 |
Atalanta | 16 | 12 | 1 | 3 | +22 | 37 |
Internazionale | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | +25 | 34 |
Lazio | 17 | 11 | 1 | 5 | +8 | 34 |
Fiorentina | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | +17 | 31 |
Juventus | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | +14 | 28 |
Bologna | 16 | 7 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 28 |
AC Milan | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | +9 | 26 |
Udinese | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | -6 | 20 |
Empoli | 16 | 4 | 7 | 5 | -2 | 19 |
Torino | 17 | 5 | 4 | 8 | -5 | 19 |
AS Roma | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | -5 | 16 |
Genoa | 17 | 3 | 7 | 7 | -12 | 16 |
Lecce | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | -18 | 16 |
Parma | 16 | 3 | 6 | 7 | -5 | 15 |
Como | 16 | 3 | 6 | 7 | -10 | 15 |
Hellas Verona | 17 | 5 | 0 | 12 | -19 | 15 |
Cagliari | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -11 | 14 |
Monza | 16 | 1 | 7 | 8 | -7 | 10 |
Venezia | 16 | 2 | 4 | 10 | -14 | 10 |