Lazio and Napoli stake title credentials

Posted Monday, October 04, 2010 by YAHOO Sport

ROME (AFP) - It was a good day to be wearing sky blue in Serie A on Sunday as Lazio and Napoli each made a statement of their title credentials.

Lazio went top as they edged past newly-promoted Brescia 1-0 at Rome's Stadio Olimpico while their city rivals AS Roma lost 2-0 at Napoli, who are now second.

Champions Inter Milan can however regain the league lead if they beat Juventus in the day's late match.

Stefano Mauri scored the only goal of the game following a sweet move on the stroke of half-time to give Lazio the three points and an unlikely lofty position for the cash-strapped club.

The big game of the afternoon was at the San Paolo stadium in Naples, though.

Marek Hamsik and a Juan own goal showed Napoli are ready to take the next step up this season and fight for a Champions League place while Roma remain in the bottom three amid a serious crisis of confidence.

It was Napoli's first home win of the season and Hamsik said that rather than the league table was the most important aspect of their victory.

"We're happy but it's the beginning of the season, it's only the beginning, it's tight in the table and if you lose a game six teams overtake you," he said.

"It was important to win at home and get that monkey off our backs. The league table is very close so it's too soon to talk (of the title)."

And Roma coach Claudio Ranieri admitted his team are not as good as last season.

"We know that we're not the Roma of last year, we're working hard and we will be back," he vowed.

"We wanted to do well but Napoli were better than us."

Given Roma's precarious position and Napoli knowing a two goal victory could have taken them top, fireworks were expected but it took 25 minutes for the game to really take off.

Slovakia midfielder Hamsik cut in from the right but space was cramped and his left footed shot didn't trouble goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont.

A couple of minutes later it was Roma's turn to press as Cicinho chipped to the far post for fellow full-back John Arne Riise, who took the ball down on his chest but then volleyed wildly high and wide.

Ezequiel Lavezzi then chipped the ball into the box for Hamsik, whose chest control was perfect but his finish was too close to Lobont.

On 37 minutes Morgan De Sanctis came to Napoli's rescue with a one-handed save as a Marco Borriello glancing header from Francesco Totti's free-kick hit Paolo Cannavaro and almost wrong-footed the goalkeeper.

Napoli stepped up the pressure after the break as Edinson Cavani escaped on a break but Lobont stood up to block his thrashed left foot effort.

Lavezzi curled a free-kick narrowly off target and then Andrea Dossena slipped in Cavani only for Brazilian centre-back Juan to launch his body in front of the Uruguay forward's shot and knock the ball behind for a corner.

But Napoli got the goal their domination deserved on 72 minutes as they carved Roma open again.

Lavezzi chipped the ball down the line for Dossena who pulled the ball back into the box for Hamsik, charging in unmarked, and although he drilled his shot straight at Lobont, the ball squeezed under the Romanian and trickled over the line.

That sparked Roma into life and substitute Aleandro Rosi crossed for fellow substitute Mirko Vucinic but the sting was taken out of his shot by sprawled defenders throwing themselves in front of him.

But Napoli sealed the richly deserved victory when Hugo Campagnaro's cross from the right seven minutes from time hit Roma centre-backs Nicolas Burdisso and then Juan before deceiving Lobont.