ROME — Romelu Lukaku made his mark against his former team as Napoli edged past a struggling Roma with a 1-0 victory on Sunday, regaining the top spot in Serie A and marking Claudio Ranieri’s first match in charge of the Giallorossi.
With this win, Napoli climbed to the top of the league, sitting just one point ahead of Atalanta, Inter Milan, and Fiorentina, who also achieved a significant win, beating Como 2-0 to extend their winning streak to seven games.
Lukaku found the back of the net early in the second half, converting a cross from Napoli’s captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Roma had a chance to equalize when Artem Dovbyk’s header struck the crossbar, but they ultimately fell short.
Lukaku, who had played for Roma last season, became a key target for Napoli after the club appointed Antonio Conte as their new coach for this season.
Ranieri stepped in as Roma’s third coach of the season just 10 days prior to this match, taking over from Ivan Juric, who had replaced Daniele De Rossi earlier in the campaign.
Despite this defeat, Roma remains in 12th place, managing to keep four points clear of the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, Fiorentina’s Yacine Adli opened the scoring with an impressive long-range shot. Moise Kean then added to his season tally, redirecting a cross midway through the second half for his ninth goal, helping Fiorentina maintain their momentum. This marks a significant achievement for the team, as they last won seven consecutive matches in a single Serie A season back in 1960, when they achieved eight straight victories.
In other news, Patrick Vieira’s first game as the head coach of Genoa ended in a 2-2 stalemate against Cagliari. Cagliari’s goals came through penalties, including a last-minute equalizer from Roberto Piccoli.
Vieira was appointed just a few days before the match, taking over from Alberto Gilardino, who was released from his duties.
Additionally, Mario Balotelli made a late appearance for Genoa, but did not manage to leave a notable impact on the match.
In another fixture, Torino faced Monza, with the match concluding in a 1-1 draw.