The Nigerian hits the post and misses the penalty, Italian champions -7 behind Inter
Napoli drew 0-0 in Bologna today, 24 September 2023, in the match scheduled for the fifth day of the 2023-2024 Serie A. The Italian champions hit the post with Osimhen who missed a penalty in the second half before being replaced. Napoli rises to 8 points and is already 7 points behind Inter, leaders with 15 full points. Bologna rises to 6 points.
The match
Napoli started strong straight away. Not even five minutes on the clock and Raspadori finds a perfect corridor to send Osimhen towards goal: in front of Skorupski however the Nigerian hits the post, a slight deviation from the Polish goalkeeper being decisive. Shortly afterwards, bad news arrives for Bologna: Posch stops due to a muscle problem and is replaced by De Silvestri.
The Neapolitans keep control of the operations but struggle to build other scoring opportunities because Bologna covers themselves well and when they have the ball they even try to start again, even if with poor results. The challenge increasingly takes on the features of a chess game. At the end of the half there was only time for a left-footed shot from Raspadori from distance, without success.
The second half continues in the same way: Napoli takes the lead, Bologna remains in the defensive phase and tries to restart. The show is based on some solid play from the individual: Kvaratskhelia lights up at times, Raspadori very little, Osimhen never in the second half. And the exit of Lucumì, the second injured player at Bologna (muscle problem) after Posch, doesn’t change anything either.
The two coaches shuffle the cards, looking for a spark that can upset the balance. In the 27th minute the Italian champions create the conditions for the goal. Zielinski invents for Kvaratskhelia, who puts it in the center and earns a penalty for a handball by Calafiori. Osimhen appears from the spot, but sensationally shoots wide: it is the fourth game in a row without finding the net for last championship’s top scorer. The final was all Napoli’s forcing with Bologna’s defense holding firm. Osimhen’s disappointment with Garcia at the time of the substitution should be noted: he would have wanted a finish with the two strikers, and he told him so in French.
Source-www.adnkronos.com