Napoli’s Title Hopes Suffer Setback with Draw Against Udinese
Napoli’s aspirations to widen their lead at the top of Serie A were thwarted on Sunday as they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Udinese at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. The result means that the Partenopei missed a golden opportunity to stretch their advantage over second-placed Inter Milan to six points.
The match began with Udinese putting pressure on Napoli, and it was Scott McTominay who opened the scoring for the hosts in the 37th minute. McTominay rose to meet Matteo Politano’s corner, directing a powerful header into the net for his sixth goal of the season. However, the lead was short-lived, as Udinese quickly responded just three minutes later. Jurgen Ekkelenkamp capitalized on a defensive error from Napoli, firing a dipping long-range shot into the bottom corner to equalize.
Napoli struggled to regain their momentum in the second half, dominating possession but failing to create clear-cut chances. This draw marked the second consecutive weekend where Napoli dropped points, having previously settled for a 1-1 draw against Roma.
The outcome left Napoli with just a three-point cushion over Inter Milan, who can reduce the gap when they face Fiorentina on Monday. Adding to the pressure, Atalanta remains in the title race, now sitting just five points behind after a stunning 5-0 victory over Verona on Saturday.
In other Serie A action, Lazio climbed back into the top four with a commanding 5-1 win over last-placed Monza. Adam Marusic started the scoring, and Pedro netted twice, along with a goal from Taty Castellanos. Monza’s struggles continued, leading to the sacking of coach Salvatore Bocchetti following the match.
Meanwhile, Roma secured a narrow 1-0 victory against second-bottom Venezia, courtesy of a penalty from Paulo Dybala in the 57th minute. The win lifted Roma to ninth in the table, while Bologna’s 0-0 draw at Lecce left them trailing Lazio by seven points.
