Napoli comes back from a Giroud's brace to secure a point

With two consecutive defeats (Juventus in Italy and PSG in the Champions League) without a single goal scored, Milan arrived tonight to Napoli in order to stop the result crisis and put some misery on the hosts. After all, Rossoneri have won three consecutive Serie A games in Naples, and this was the ideal situation for them. On top of that, the hosts are not playing as champions, and coach Rudi Garcia is still on the bench only because Antonio Conte refused the offer to take over. Their best striker, Victor Osimhen, was injured and couldn’t help them, so when the score was 0-2 for the hosts after only 30 minutes, it all looked like a catastrophe for Napoli. But, the game ended peacefully, and the host could even win in injury time, despite being with ten men on the field: Napoli – Milan 2-2.

Rossoneri entered the match much more aggressively and with a stronger intensity. Not like the lacklustre editions against Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. Not even 20 minutes had passed when Pioli found themselves in trouble because the until-then excellent Kalulu had to leave due to injury, and debutant Marco Pellegrino entered the field. But the centre of gravity of the game was in the host's half, and after 22 minutes, Milan crowned a better opening. Olivier Giroud masterfully escaped Rahmani and waited for Pulisic's cross in the box. It was Milan's first headed goal in five months. Right after that, Politano had a shot to equalize, but he missed from three meters. Giroud scored the second goal nine minutes after the first. This time it was Calabria with a cross, and Giroud got out of Rachmani's embrace again and again silenced "Maradona" stadium with another header. It was the best half-an-hour of the Rossoneri this season in stronger games. And they didn't stop. They continued to attack as Napoli looked like a broken gang. Milan dominated the midfield and easily created dangerous situations. Dutch midfielder Tijani Rjenders had a fantastic chance for 3:0 and a total knockout of the Neapolitans... He missed. And regretted it. Before that, he ruined a promising counter.

Napoli somehow consolidated at half-time, and Rudi Garcia made a triple change, bringing on Olivera, Simeone and Estigore in place of the desperate Rahmani. They went all-or-nothing for the home side in the second half and had a great opening. Politano brought Napoli back into the game in the 50th minute and fired up the stands. He did everything himself. He fooled Pellegrino and sent a missile over Maignan's head.

After conceding a goal, Milan entered a period of panic in which it was not known who was doing what, and the Neapolitans ‘smelled blood’. Raspadori masterfully shot from a free kick past the wall and into the net. The stadium exploded! In the end, both teams had chances to win in stoppage time. Milan's captain Davide Calabria missed the first one. In the 92nd minute, Jović headed a cross to the second post where Calabria was himself, but he headed wide of the goal from two meters away. In the last attack of the match, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made a chance for himself, but Maignan saved Milan.

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 10

Friday

Genoa - Salernitana 1-0 (1-0)

/Gudmundsson 35/

Saturday

Sassuolo - Bologna 1-1 (1-1)

/Boloca 44 - Zirkzee 3/

Lecce - Torino 0-1 (0-1)

/Buongiorno 41/

Juventus - Hellas Verona 1-0 (0-0)

/Cambiaso 90+7/

Sunday

Cagliari - Frosinone 4-3 (0-2)

/Oristanio 72, Makoumbou 76, Pavoletti 90+4, 90+6 - Soule 23, 37, Brescianini 49/

Monza - Udinese 1-1 (1-0)

/Colpani 27 - Lucca 67/

Inter - Roma 1-0 (0-0)

/Thuram 81/

Napoli - Milan 2-2 (0-2)

/Politano 50, Raspadori 63 - Giroud 22, 31/

Monday

20.30: (4.90) Empoli (3.60) Atalanta (1.75)

22.45: (2.35) Lazio (3.45) Fiorentina (3.20)

***odds are subject to change***