Beyond Politics

Napoli Wins First Serie A Title Since the Days of Argentine Great Maradona

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Italian football club Napoli won its third Serie A championship on Thursday and its first since 1989-90 season after drawing 1-1 with Udinese.
Sputnik
Udinese’s Slovenian midfielder Sandi Lovric scored on 13th minute of the game, and Napoli’s Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen equialized on 52nd minute.
Napoli now has 80 points and is unreachable for second-placed Lazio after round 33 of Serie A.
Osimhen is Serie A top scorer with 22 goals, while Napoli’s Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has completed most assists of the tournament — 10.
“I’m happy for all Napoli fans worldwide,” Osimhen later said. “No one deserves the scudetto (championship) more than Neapolitans — more than us."
In the aftermath of the Thursday win, massive celebrations have kicked off throughout the Italian city, with fireworks and crackers lighting up the night sky as hundreds of fans and locals have taken to the streets.
The coveted title marks the third for the team in Italy's top division but their first since the days that decorated Argentine footballer Diego Maradona led the time to the championships in 1987 and 1990.
Remarking on the win, Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti told media that the spirit of Maradona was "felt" throughout the match.

“These fans have seen big coaches come and go,” Spalletti said. "They saw Diego Armando Maradona play and perhaps his [impact] is also felt in this success."

The welcomed win came after the team only managed to score two wins in seven games in April, in addition to having been bumped out of the Champions League. In fact, prior to the start of the current season, the team was not even considered a valid contender for the title due to the departure of three of its top tier players: Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens and Kalidou Koulibaly.
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