It ends all square after a tight, fiercely-contested game. Napoli made the perfect start when De Vrij fouled Osimhen and gave away a penalty. Although the referee didn't notice the incident the first time around, a VAR check revealed that a foul had been committed. Insigne confidently fired in the penalty and the hosts continued to pour forward in the opening 30 minutes. Zielinski was unfortunate to hit the post, while Osimhen went close twice. However, Inter remained in the game and capitalised instantly in the second half when Dzeko punished some hesitant defending to smash in from close range. From there, both teams grew fearful of defeat and a tense final 30 minutes saw the game finish 1-1.
The result means that Napoli remain in second, one point behind leaders Inter.
That's all for now though, goodbye!
Cronaca
Formazioni
Statistiche
90'+6'
FULL-TIME: NAPOLI 1-1 INTER19:56
90'+4'
Barella attempts a wild overhead kick from 20 yards and it trickles harmlessly wide.19:54
90'+3'
Perisic wins another corner as his delivery deflects off Di Lorenzo. Sanchez swings the set-piece in towards the back post where Ospina rises to claim it under pressure.19:53
90'+1'
Five minutes of stoppage time as Napoli clear an Inter corner. Will either side grab a precious winner?19:51
90'
Dimarco makes way with D'Ambrosio coming on.19:51
88'
Sanchez turns down a shooting opportunity from 20 yards and tries to drive into the box before getting tackled by Elmas.19:49
86'
Perisic sends in a dangerous cross towards the near post that Rrahmani heads clear. The visitors are looking more likely to find a winner currently.19:46
84'
Zielinski makes his way off to be replaced by Juan Jesus.19:45
84'
The goalscorer Insigne also departs with Ounas coming on.19:45
84'
Napoli, meanwhile, make a triple change. The first sees Osimhen come off for Mertens after an impressive display.19:45
84'
Calhanoglu also makes way with Vidal coming on.19:44
83'
Two changes for Inter as they hunt for a winner. The first sees Martinez depart with Sanchez taking his place up top.19:44
82'
Napoli might be tiring a little. Rui comes under pressure from Dumfries and has no passing options before getting dispossessed by Barella, leading to Inter winning a throw-in near the corner flag. 19:43
80'
It's still a stalemate as we approach a tense final 10 minutes. 19:40
78'
Perisic chips in a hopeful cross for Martinez, but Koulibaly is there to clear again.19:39
76'
Zielinski surrenders possession in a dangerous area, allowing Inter to fly forward on the break. Dzeko switches it out to Dumfries who drives at the defence before a superb tackle from Lobotka ends the move. 19:37
74'
Fabian is replaced by Anguissa in midfield as Napoli search for an injection of energy.19:34
73'
An intricate Inter move ends with Koulibaly cleverly covering across and blocking a pass from Dumfries. The defender has been superb on his return today.19:34
71'
The final 20 minutes will be fascinating. A draw is by no means a disaster for either side and this could lead to a cautious approach. But if one team goes for the win, they could be richly reward in the title race. 19:31
68'
SAVE! De Vrij fails to clear his lines and allows a throughball to find its way to Elmas. The attacker just has the goalkeeper to beat from close range, but Handanovic smothers his shot brilliantly! The result corner amounts to nothing.19:30
66'
Di Lorenzo shepherds a pass out of play, before a minor collision with Dimarco. There's not much in it, but Di Lorenzo stays down and receives treatment while the referee has words with Dimarco.19:27
64'
Napoli are beginning to move it quicker in the final third, but just as they find Osimhen one on one against De Vrij, the defender steps in to tackle him.19:24
62'
Zielinksi searches for Osimhen with a cross from the left but his delivery flies over the head of the striker. Neither side can create a true opening right now - it's a tight, tactical clash for top spot. 19:23
60'
Brozovic is booked after a reckless challenge on Lobotka.19:21
59'
Chance! Perisic darts down the left-wing and sends in a dangerous cross that Koulibaly clears from under the nose of Dumfries. Handanovic is caught in a collision during that chance and there's a brief delay as he receives treatment. The goalkeeper should be okay to continue though.19:19
57'
SAVE! Brozovic misplaces a pass straight to Osimhen and the striker bursts away! He takes on Skriniar before rifling a 10-yard strike from a tight angle that Handanovic instinctively flicks away with his feet.19:16
55'
Dzeko has now scored 10 Serie A goals so far this season. He's been an excellent replacement for Lukaku, who left for Chelsea in the summer. 19:14
53'
Napoli attempt to settle into the second period properly with a long spell of harmless possession.19:12
51'
It was a deeply frustrating goal for Napoli to concede though. After keeping Inter at bay for the first half, they succumbed to the first cross that came into their box following half-time.19:11
49'
Well, that's the ideal start to the second half for Inter. The longer they stayed behind, the harder it would get to work their way back into this game. Now though, it's all level as we enter a crucial 45 minutes.19:09
47'
GOALL! DZEKO! 1-1. Inter equalise early in the second half. Martinez sends in a speculative cross from the byline and although Dzeko misses his initial header, it ricochets off Di Lorenzo and falls perfectly back at the striker's feet! Dzeko makes no mistake and thumps it in off the bar from close range!
Inter need a huge performance in this second half though. Napoli are unbeaten in their last 38 Serie A matches when leading at half-time (W34, D4) dating back to 1st December 2019 against Bologna (L1-2).18:55
Napoli lead at the break after an entertaining first half. The hosts made a fast start when De Vrij brought down Osimhen to give away a penalty. Initially, the referee didn't award it, but a VAR check decided to give the spot-kick. Insigne stepped up and smashed it into the top corner to give Napoli the lead and the hosts continued to hunt for another goal. Zielinski and Osimhen both had chances to add to the lead. Inter looked rattled after the opening 30 minutes, but there were signs that the visitors were settling into the game before half-time. Nevertheless, this game is perfectly poised ahead of the second half. 18:54
45'+2'
HALF-TIME: NAPOLI 1-0 INTER18:49
45'+1'
Two minutes of stoppage time are added on.18:47
44'
Osimhen goes down after a barge from De Vrij but the referee again plays on.18:47
42'
Chance! Dumfries gets in behind the defence at an angle, before skewing his shot across goal and wide!18:44
40'
Inter have settled finally and they're beginning to string some attacks together.18:42
38'
Chance! Perisic drives to the byline and loops up a cross that Dzeko heads straight at Ospina from eight yards! The striker couldn't quite get enough power on that header. 18:39
37'
Insigne goes down after Perisic bundles into him from behind. The referee takes a dim view of his fall though and books the attacker for simulation.18:39
36'
Dzeko heads Skriniar's deep free-kick across goal, but Ospina swoops in to gather the loose ball before an Inter player can attack it. 18:37
34'
Napoli have been all over Inter in the last 10 minutes with Insigne and Osimhen causing all sorts of problems. Inter need to play their way into this game and fast.18:35
32'
Napoli continue to hunt for a second goal. Their latest move ends with Skriniar blocking an Insigne effort before Osimhen blazes over from 18 yards!18:32
30'
Nearly! Elmas' cross isn't dealt with by Inter and it falls to Insigne who smashes it over from eight yards with an acrobatic volley!18:31
28'
Chance! Di Lorenzo threads a pass through to get Osimhen in behind the defence. The striker approaches goal from a tight angle before lashing a vicious effort into the side netting from 12 yards!18:30
26'
Politano can't shake off the earlier knock and he'll be replaced by Elmas.18:28
25'
Inter carefully work it into a crossing position for Dumfries, but the wingback wastefully hits it away for a throw-in.18:27
23'
There's a lull in play as both sides try and take control with long spells of possession. 18:25
21'
There's a brief as Politano receives treatment for a calf injury, but he should be able to continue for the moment.18:21
19'
Inter are going to have to play very well to come back in this game. Napoli have a record of W14, D2, L1 when scoring the opening goal in Serie A this season.18:19
17'
Dimarco crosses from the byline but Rrahmani climbs above Dzeko to clear. 18:18
15'
Dumfries and Barella work to try and enter the box from the right, but Napoli players crowd them out and clear. 18:16
13'
Off the post! Politano runs at Dimarco and sends in a low cross that Osimhen fires against Dumfries. However, the loose ball falls to Zielinski on the edge of the box and the midfielder cracks a low effort against the outside of the post!18:14
11'
Inter try and settle the game down with a long spell of harmless possession.18:12
9'
Well, this is the perfect start for Napoli. With their first real attack of the game they win and convert a penalty! Inter will be fearing the worst after being breached so easily. 18:10
7'
GOALLL! INSIGNE! 1-0. Napoli make a dream start. Insigne steps up to take the penalty and confidently blasts it into the top left corner despite Handanovic guessing correctly!
Penalty to Napoli! Insigne sends in a low cross and De Vrij pokes it clear before Di Lorenzo fires wide. However, under closer inspection it turns out that De Vrij illegally slid through the back of Osimhen and fouled the striker before clearing. Following a check with VAR, the referee awards a penalty!18:09
4'
CLOSE! Di Lorenzo collects a clearance on the edge of the box and bends a brilliant 25-yard strike that arcs inches wide of the post! Handanovic would have stood no chance if that was on target. 18:07
3'
Politano drives down the right and whips in a cross for Osimhen but De Vrij manages to head it clear.18:07
2'
Inter make a fast start. Perisic muscles past Di Lorenzo to get to the byline, but his eventual cross is a little too high for Dumfries and the hosts clear. 18:07
1'
Napoli kick off the first half.18:02
The players are emerging from the tunnel and kick off is just seconds away!17:59
Napoli are unbeaten in 14 of their last 15 Serie A home games against Inter in the 21st century (W9 D5), with their only defeat a 1-3 reverse in January 2020.17:56
Inter make just one change following their defeat to Milan. Alessandro Bastoni received a red card in that game and he’ll be replaced in defence by Dimarco.17:52
Napoli make one change to the side that defeated Spezia last time out: Juan Jesus makes way for Koulibaly, who returns after winning AFCON with Senegal.17:48
SUBS: Alex Cordas, Ionut Radu, Aleksandar Kolarov, Andrea Ranocchia, Danilo D’Ambrosio, Roberto Gagliardini, Arturo Vidal, Matteo Darmian, Alexis Sanchez, Franco Carboni, Felipe Caicedo.17:42
INTER (3-5-2): Samir Handanovic; Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij, Federico Dimarco; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Marcelo Brozovic, Hakan Calhanoglu, Ivan Perisic; Edin Dzeko, Lauturo Martinez.17:42
SUBS: Alex Meret, Davide Marfella, Kevin Malcuit, Juan Jesus, Faouzi Ghoulam, Alessandro Zanoli, Diego Demme, Eljif Elmas, Dries Mertens, Adam Ounas, Andrea Petagna.17:38
NAPOLI (4-2-3-1): David Ospina; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Stanislav Lobotka, Fabian; Matteo Politano, Piotr Zielinski, Lorenzo Insigne; Victor Osimhen.17:38
Inter, meanwhile, enter this one after a disappointing 2-1 defeat to rivals Milan last time in the league, they’ll be desperate to put things right and pull away from the chasing pack.17:20
Hello and welcome to live commentary of this Serie A fixture between Napoli and Inter. It’s first versus second in a match of huge significance in the Serie A title race. Napoli are just a single point behind Inter after winning four on the spin and they’ll be looking to carry this momentum into today’s game and overtake Inter with a sensational win. 17:20
Dove si gioca la partita:
Stadio: Diego Armando Maradona Città: Napoli Capienza: 60240 spettatori17:20
Napoli - Inter is a match of 25 day of the season Serie A 2021/2022. The match will be 12 february at 20:45 in the stadium Diego Armando Maradona in Napoli. Referee of Napoli - Inter will be Daniele Doveri with the help of Alessandro Costanzo e Daniele Bindoni. At VAR there will be Aleandro Di Paolo.
Currently Napoli is 2° in the standings with 53 points (thanks of 16 wins, 5 draws and 4 defeats); while Inter is 1° in the standings with 54 points (thanks of 16 wins, 6 pareggi and 2 sconfitte). Napoli scored 46 goals and conceded 17; Inter scored 55 goals and conceded 20. The first leg Inter - Napoli was played on 21 november 2021 and it ended on a 3-2 score.
At home Napoli scored 26 points (8 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses). Away Inter scored 24 points (7 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss). Napoli in the last three matches of the season challenged Salernitana, Venezia and Inter obtaining 7 points thanks to 2 wins, 1 draw and 0 losses. Inter in the last three matches of the season challenged Atalanta, Venezia and Mil obtaining 4 points thanks to 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss. In the last match Napoli was against Inter evening 1-1 while Inter was against Milan losing 1-2.
Napoli and Inter competed 151 times in the league. In the previous matches Napoli won 46 times, Inter won 68 times while the number of draw was 37.
These are the statistics of the two teams in the matches played in the season:
Where to see Napoli-Inter You can see the live match Napoli-Inter here on Virgilio Sport starting 20:45 CET of 12 february. Discover who will broadcast live Napoli - Inter between Sky and Dazn.
