Napoli ease past Spezia into Coppa Italia quarterfinals

Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images

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Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images

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Manolo Gabbiadini boosted his value in the transfer market by scoring for the third straight match as Napoli beat Serie B side Spezia 3-1 on Tuesday to advance to the Italian Cup quarterfinals.

After Antonio Piccolo equalised to cancel out Piotr Zielinski's early opener for Napoli, Emanuele Giaccherini and Gabbiadini scored within two minutes of each other to put the hosts in control again.

Gabbiadini, who also scored in Napoli's last two Serie A matches, hadn't found the net in three consecutive fixtures since April 2015. The forward has openly declared that he intends to leave Napoli this month.

Zielinski scored from the edge of the area with Napoli's first chance after just three minutes, and an effort from Lorenzo Insigne nearly put the home side 2-0 ahead but hit the post.

Piccolo, who is from Naples, didn't celebrate after scoring against his hometown club with a bouncing shot from the edge of the area that deflected in off a defender.

In the 55th minute, Giaccherini volleyed in from the corner of the box after a pass from Insigne.

Then Gabbiadini chested into an empty net from close range after Marko Rog threaded his way through two defenders and drew the goalkeeper toward him before floating a cross over to his teammate.

Napoli are third in Serie A while Spezia, who eliminated Palermo in the previous round, are 10th in Serie B. Police had to break up a clash between opposing fans outside the stadium before kickoff.

Five-time champions Napoli will now face either Fiorentina or Chievo Verona, who play on Wednesday.