In front of their home crowd for the first time since being crowned Italian kings for the first time in 33 years, Napoli defeated Fiorentina 1-0 on Sunday thanks to a goal from Victor Osimhen.
A few days after scoring the goal that gave Napoli their third Scudetto with five games left, Nigerian striker Osimhen converted a penalty in the 74th minute to bring his season total to 23.
“I had the confidence I would score the second one. It’s a good feeling to get the goal,” said Osimhen to DAZN.
Since Thursday’s draw in Udine, Naples has been in a celebratory mood, and on Sunday afternoon, on a brilliantly sunny day in southern Italy, fans set off fireworks and flares in the congested streets surrounding the stadium named for their hero Diego Maradona.
With both locals and visitors dressed in blue, the city was packed with pubs and eateries doing a roaring business.
Before the game began, fans displayed the Italian flag with the number three in recognition of their championship victories and sang “we are the champions” loudly in support of their team.
But as soon as play began, a staleness slowly swept the field, not helped by Napoli’s scant offensive production and two teams going through the motions with nothing on the line.
Osimhen was not even able to convert a penalty that was given a minute after halftime for a rugby tackle by Sofyan Amrabat on Stanislav Lobotka.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s weaving dribble towards goal was unlawfully halted by Nicolas Gonzalez, giving Serie A’s top scorer a second chance, and this time he didn’t mess up.
To celebrate the victory, which extends Napoli’s enormous advantage over hated rivals Juventus to 17 points, flares were lit all over the field and blue smoke filled the air.